ONGC CSR Funding Row Sparks Political Storm as Congress Questions Alleged Donations to RSS-Linked Organisations
A political controversy has erupted after an investigative report claimed that state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) allocated more than ₹668 crore in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to 20 organisations identified as having links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over roughly a decade. The report has triggered demands from the Karnataka Congress for greater transparency in how public sector CSR funds are distributed.
The investigation, based on ONGC’s publicly available CSR annual reports, stated that the PSU spent approximately ₹4,531 crore on CSR initiatives between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2025. According to the report, ₹668.01 crore—about 14.7% of the total CSR expenditure—went to 20 organisations that the publication classified as either directly affiliated with the RSS, founded by individuals linked to the Sangh, or closely associated with it.
The report also noted that more than 2,000 organisations and projects received CSR support during the same period, with the identified Sangh-linked organisations representing only a small fraction of the total beneficiaries by number but accounting for nearly one-seventh of the overall CSR expenditure. The publication said its analysis excluded organisations that had received less than ₹1 crore in CSR assistance.
Reacting to the findings, Karnataka Congress president B. K. Hariprasad questioned whether taxpayer-backed public institutions should finance organisations allegedly linked to the RSS. Referring to the reported figures, he argued that if public-sector enterprises fund RSS-affiliated bodies through CSR allocations, it raises questions about transparency and the Sangh’s long-standing assertion that it does not receive government funding. He called for greater public accountability in the allocation of CSR resources.
Hariprasad further said that the controversy was no longer merely about whether the RSS itself is a registered organisation but about citizens’ right to know how public money controlled by government-owned companies is spent. He urged ONGC and the organisations involved to provide greater clarity regarding the selection process for CSR beneficiaries.
The report identified several major beneficiaries among the organisations it linked to the Sangh ecosystem, including educational, healthcare and charitable institutions. It maintained that many of these bodies undertake social welfare activities that qualify for CSR funding under existing legal provisions, while also having organisational or leadership links to the broader Sangh network.
At the centre of the debate is the distinction between legally permissible CSR funding and the political affiliations of recipient organisations. India’s Companies Act allows eligible CSR contributions to registered charitable entities engaged in approved social development activities. The current controversy focuses not on whether CSR spending is legally permitted in principle, but on whether public-sector companies should disclose more clearly the criteria used to select organisations with perceived ideological affiliations.
As of the latest available reports, there has been no detailed official response from ONGC addressing the specific allegations made in the investigation. Likewise, the political claims remain contested, and no government authority has announced an inquiry into the reported CSR allocations.
The issue has now evolved beyond a dispute over individual grants into a wider political debate over transparency, public accountability and governance within state-owned enterprises. With public sector companies handling thousands of crores in CSR spending every year, the controversy is expected to intensify calls for greater disclosure of beneficiary selection, independent scrutiny of CSR allocations and clearer standards governing the use of public-sector resources.
