The Congress on Wednesday alleged that Pradeep Kurulkar, DRDO’s director of R&D (engineering) who was arrested last week by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad on the charge of spying for Pakistan, had links with the RSS.

Releasing videos and photographs to prove Kurulkar’s association with the RSS, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “The RSS, an unregistered organisation, doesn’t maintain a register of its members. If somebody is caught in any illegal activity, they will disown him. But Kurulkar had relations with the RSS for four generations.”

One video purportedly showed Kurulkar explaining his relationship with the RSS, and his family's association with the organisation for four generations. In a video of a book release, he was purportedly seen with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and in RSS uniform. Khera said Kurulkar held a post in RSS outfit Sanskar Bharti and used to play the saxophone at the RSS’s Pune shakha.

The RSS did not react immediately.

Khera said: “This is a very serious matter which exposes the anti-national face of BJP-RSS. An RSS leader directly endangering India’s national security has yet again exposed the lie and charade of the RSS being a so-called ‘nationalistic’ organisation. This is not a matter of politics, it concerns our national security. The country has to understand who is a traitor and who is a patriot.”

Recalling that the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) comes directly under the Prime Minister’s Office, Khera said: “Pakistanis were being given sensitive information about our defence research and missiles. This DRDO director was sharing pictures of missiles with a Pakistani woman through social media. Several high-level ex-officers have confirmed, behind the scenes, that itwas Pradeep Kurulkar’s RSS links that made the matter public.”

Two alleged imposters, Kiran Patel and Sanjay Sherpuria, have been recently arrested for cheating and forgery by taking the name of the PMO. Khera pointed this out and said: “Some people say these are symptoms of an internal fight in RSS-BJP. We want to know what is happening. How so many criminal and anti-national elementsare enjoying political patronage?”

A case has been registered against Kurulkar under the Official Secrets Act and other related sections. Further investigation is being done by the ATS Pune team. The court has sent him on custodial remand till May 15. Khera wondered why such serious news has not been debated on TV channels and wondered what the media would have done if the accused had been linked to the Congress.

Khera wondered how the Narendra Modi government had failed to nab Kurulkar when he was talking to thePakistani woman from October 2022 over social media“day and night” and was “sharing” top secret documents. “It took five months for the ministry of home affairs and intelligence agencies to nab him,” he said.

Khera said Modi should clarify what is the relationship between the RSS and Kurulkar.