ARTICLE
Ahead of the Budget Session of the Lok Sabha beginning Monday, a central government order issued earlier this month lifting a “ban” on the participation of government employees in the activities of the RSS has triggered a political storm. The order came a month after the results of the Lok Sabha polls, which saw the BJP return to power with a considerably reduced strength in the Lower House. Allies like the Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Lok Dal remained silent on the recent order. While JD(U) national spokesperson K C Tyagi refused to comment on the order, RLD national spokesperson Mohammad Islam said he will comment only after discussing the matter within the party. However, the Opposition has launched an attack against the Narendra Modi government over the order. On Sunday, Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh shared on social media a memorandum, dated July 9, issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension pertaining to the participation of the government servants in the activities of the RSS. “(Then Home Minister) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had banned the RSS in February 1948 following Gandhi ji’s assassination. Subsequently, the ban was withdrawn on assurances of good behaviour. Even after this, the RSS never flew the (tricolour) in Nagpur. In 1966, a ban was imposed – and rightly so – on government employees taking part in RSS activities. After June 4, 2024, relations between the self-anointed non-biological PM and the RSS have nosedived. On July 9, 2024, the 58-year ban, which was in force even during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee’s tenure as PM, was removed. The bureaucracy can now come in knickers too I suppose.” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the order, if true, is against India’s integrity and unity. “The ban on RSS exists because it had originally refused to accept the Constitution, the national flag and the national anthem. Every RSS member takes an oath that puts Hindutva above the nation. No civil servant can be loyal to the nation if he is a member of RSS,” Owaisi said. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that with the order, government officers in the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Central Bureau of Investigation, Election Commission and other departments can “officially prove their Sangh credentials”. “Such a shame, instead of aligning only to Bharat Mata’s interests, the BJP is leading them towards keeping ideological interests first,” Chaturvedi said. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said, “Are we surprised that the Union government has now revoked a 60-year ban on government employees taking part in RSS activities?” Demanding the government withdraw the order, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati said the Centre’s decision was politically motivated and aimed at appeasing the RSS to alleviate the bitterness that has intensified between the two after the Lok Sabha elections “over government policies and their arrogant attitudes”. She said the order was “beyond the national interest”. The RSS said the government’s decision is “appropriate” and strengthens democracy. RSS publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar said the RSS, for the last 99 years, has been continuously engaged in rebuilding the nation and service to society. “Due to the contribution of the Sangh in national security, unity-integrity and taking the society along during times of natural disasters, various types of leadership of the country have also praised the role of the Sangh from time to time. Due to its political interests, the then government had baselessly banned government employees from participating in the activities of a constructive organisation like the Sangh. The present decision of the government is appropriate and strengthens the democratic system of India,” Ambekar said in a statement. The BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya also shared a screenshot of the order on social media and said the “unconstitutional” order issued 58 years ago imposing a ban on government employees taking part in the activities of the RSS has been withdrawn by the Modi government. The 1966 order shouldn’t have been passed in the first place, he added. “The ban was imposed because on November 7, 1966, there was a massive anti-cow-slaughter protest in Parliament. The RSS-Jana Sangh mobilised support in lakhs. Many died in police firing. On November 30, 1966, shaken by the RSS-Jana Sangh’s clout, (then PM) Indira Gandhi banned government staff from joining the RSS,” Malviya said, adding, “Besides, Indira Gandhi herself reached out to the RSS in February 1977, offering to lift the ban she had imposed in November 1966, in exchange for their support for her election campaign.” Lalmani is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More None
What’s New
Spotlight
Advertisement
Featured News
Latest From This Week
Popular News
