Jul 22, 2024 11:31 AM IST
Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi cited an office memo purportedly showing the ban has been lifted and said if true, this is against India’s integrity and unity
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya on Monday said a 1966 order banning government employees from taking part in the activities of BJP’s ideological fount, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been withdrawn, prompting a sharp reaction from the Opposition.
In a post on X, Malviya called the order “unconstitutional” and said it should not have been passed. “The ban was imposed because on 7 Nov 1966, there was a massive anti-cow-slaughter protest at the Parliament. RSS-Jana Sangh [BJP precursor] mobilised support in lakhs. Many died in police firing. On 30 Nov 1966, shaken by the RSS-Jana Sangh clout, Indira Gandhi banned Govt staff from joining the RSS.” Malviya added Indira Gandhi reached out to the RSS in February 1977, offering to lift the ban in exchange for support for her election campaign.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Vallabhbhai Patel, the country’s first home minister, banned the RSS in February 1948 following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. “Subsequently the ban was withdrawn on assurance of good behaviour. Even after this the RSS never flew the Tiranga [tri-colour] in Nagpur. In 1996, a ban was imposed and rightly so on government employees taking part in RSS activities….On July 9, 2024, the 58-year-old ban that was in force during Mr [Prime Minister Atal Bihari] Vajpayee’s tenure as PM [Prime Minister] was removed,” Ramesh wrote on X. Ramesh shared a copy of the 1966 order barring government employees from associating with RSS.
Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi said an office memo purportedly shows that the government has lifted the ban on government employees participating in RSS activities. “If true, this is against India’s integrity and unity. The ban on RSS exists because it had originally refused to accept the constitution, the national flag & 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.”
Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek o Brien said he in April wrote about the spread and spread of RSS: Modi trying to outdo RSS’s (second chief MS) Golwalkar. “Are we surprised that the Union Govt has now revoked a 60-year ban on govt employees taking part in RSS activities?”
