Centre removes 58 year old ban on government staff joining RSS, cites DoPT orderĀ
Centre removes 58 year old ban on government staff joining RSS, cites DoPT orderĀ
In a significant policy shift, the central government has lifted a 58-year-old ban on government employees participating in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) programmes. This decision, reversing orders from November 30, 1966, July 25, 1970, and October 28, 1980, now allows government employees to engage with the RSS.
Across social media, people are sharing mixed reviews on this lift, but the majority seem to support the move. Many argue that it restores the rights of government employees to participate in organizations of their choice, while others raise concerns about the implications for secularism and impartiality in government service.
The Congress party has strongly opposed the move. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the decision, referencing the ban initially imposed by Sardar Patel after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in February 1948. Though the restriction was later lifted conditionally, Ramesh pointed out that the RSS never hoisted the tricolor at its Nagpur headquarters. He noted that government employees were explicitly barred from participating in RSS activities starting in 1966.
Ramesh stated, āThe decision was right.ā He added that relations between the Prime Minister and the RSS became strained after June 4, 2024. He emphasized that the ban, effective even during Atal Bihari Vajpayeeās tenure as Prime Minister, was lifted on July 9, 2024. Another Congress leader, Pawan Kheda, criticized the central government for canceling an order that had stood for nearly six decades.
In response, BJP leader Amit Malviya defended the decision, describing the 1966 order as “extra-constitutional.” He praised the Modi government for revoking the restrictions on government employees participating in RSS programmes, framing the move as a repeal of an unconstitutional directive.
This development marks a pivotal change in the policy towards the RSS, an organization that has often been a point of contention in Indian politics. The lifting of the ban could have far-reaching implications for government employees and the relationship between the state and the RSS.
