Rahul Gandhi Alleges Increasing RSS Involvement in Sainik Schools; Defence Panel Demands Documentary Proof

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, raised concerns over what he described as the "unnecessary increasing involvement" of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the operations and management of Sainik Schools across India. The issue was brought up during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence on August 4, 2026, where Gandhi cited media reports alleging that several new Sainik Schools sanctioned under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model were being allocated to organizations affiliated with the RSS, such as Vidya Bharti and Saraswati Shishu Mandir.

The allegations triggered an immediate response from committee members. Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman and BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh asked Gandhi to submit concrete documentary evidence to substantiate the claims, assuring that any submitted documents would be forwarded to the Ministry of Defence for official clarification. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also questioned the basis of the opposition leader's statement during the panel proceedings.

Responding to the allegations, top defence sources rejected the claims of political bias or ideological control in the allocation of New Sainik Schools. Defence officials clarified that the selection procedure under the PPP framework-introduced after the Union Cabinet approved 100 new Sainik Schools in October 2021-follows a transparent, multi-tiered evaluation process. Applications from private trusts, societies, and NGOs undergo scrutiny by a Documents Scrutiny Committee of five uniformed officers, followed by physical inspection by a district-level evaluation panel comprising the District Magistrate, a Kendriya Vidyalaya/Navodaya Vidyalaya principal, and the principal of the nearest Sainik School, before final approval by an independent committee.

Following the debate, the committee chairman directed officials to verify the roster of organizations allocated Sainik Schools under the PPP model and submit detailed factual reports from the Defence Ministry for review.