Priyank Kharge warns of BJP-RSS 'Bengal model weapons' to polarise Karnataka ahead of 2028 polls
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of preparing to deploy what he described as “Bengal model weapons” in Karnataka as part of a strategy to capture power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
In a strongly worded post on X, Kharge shared a screenshot of a news report carrying the headline, “BJP-RSS master plan to take on Congress: ‘Bengal model’ weapons to be tested in Karnataka.”
Reacting to the report, Kharge alleged that the RSS was preparing to use its “usual toolkit” in the state.
“What this really means is simple: the world’s largest unregistered NGO is preparing in Karnataka with its usual toolkit,” he wrote.
Kharge went on to list what he claimed were the elements of this strategy, alleging that fake narratives would be manufactured, communal fault lines deliberately widened, and local issues buried under religious polarisation.
He further alleged that booth-level propaganda would be presented as grassroots work and that fear, hatred and misinformation would be promoted in the name of nationalism.
“This is not social work. This is political engineering without accountability,” he said.
Kharge also questioned the organisational structure and funding transparency of the RSS, claiming that it was influencing the democratic process in Karnataka without being accountable to the public.
“An organisation that is not registered, not transparent about its funding and not answerable to the public is openly planning to influence Karnataka’s democratic process,” he wrote.
According to the minister, while the BJP contests elections under its party symbol, “the script, strategy and polarisation factory clearly come from the RSS.”
He urged the people of Karnataka to recognise what he described as the real objective behind these efforts.
“Karnataka must understand this early. Their model is not development. Their model is division. Their strategy is not governance. Their strategy is communal mobilisation,” he said.
Kharge concluded by alleging that the BJP-RSS combine was attempting to “capture power in 2028 by poisoning public discourse.”
“BJP-RSS master plan to take on Congress: 'Bengal model'
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) May 12, 2026
weapons to be tested in Karnataka;”
What this really means is simple: the world’s largest unregistered NGO is preparing in Karnataka with its usual toolkit.
- Fake narratives will be manufactured.
- Communal fault lines… pic.twitter.com/ZZWtx8KLGL
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Edgy Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez calls for new elections at club and seeks another term
Madrid (AP): An edgy Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez confronted journalists in a rare news conference on Tuesday and claimed he was the victim of an “organized campaign” to unseat him.
Pérez called for new club elections and told his opponents to present themselves and challenge him and his board of directors.
Usually calm and soft-spoken, Pérez appeared agitated and got into discussions with journalists during the hastily scheduled news conference at the club's training center, two days after Madrid lost 2-0 at Barcelona and saw its Catalan rival clinch its second straight Spanish league title.
“I made this decision because of this absurd situation of campaigns against me,” the 79-year-old Pérez said. “The results haven't been the greatest, but that has happened other times before. But they are taking advantage to attack me.”
He said the campaign against him was being “orchestrated by bad journalists and non journalists.”
“Some journalists and people want to destroy Real Madrid,” he said. “I'll always defend the interest of the Madrid members.”
The president spoke after a meeting of the club's board of directors.
Madrid has endured a second consecutive season without a major trophy, despite having France star Kylian Mbappé in the squad.
Pérez did not speak about the team's results, saying his appearance was solely to defend Madrid club members from attacks. He did not want to talk about a potential coaching change when asked about the possibility of José Mourinho returning next season.
Pérez said the leak of the fighting between players during training last week — which led to Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni being fined 500,000 euros ($586,000) each — was worse than the actual fight itself.
“It's not the first time that players fight with each other,” Pérez said. “It happens almost every season. But someone leaked it for the first time. And we know who it was. It should have stayed within the club.” He gave no further details.
Pérez dismissed rumors that he was tired of the job, or sick, saying they had been spread by his detractors.
“They said I have cancer and that it was terminal," he said. “It was the most undignified thing that has ever happened to me. They said I didn't go out, that I couldn't walk.”
