New Delhi: In a significant policy shift, the Narendra Modi-led central government has lifted the decades-old ban on government employees associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its activities. The ban, which had been in place since 1966, was officially removed through a purported order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on July 9, 2024.
The RSS, initially declared an unlawful organization in 1948 following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, an RSS member, was banned by then-Home Minister Sardar Patel. The ban was later lifted on assurances of good behavior from the RSS. Despite this, the organization faced a fresh ban in 1966 under the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, which prohibited government servants from participating in RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami activities.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was quick to criticize the lifting of the ban. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he shared the DoPT order and expressed his concerns over the decision. “After June 4th, 2024, relations between the self-anointed non-biological PM and the RSS have nosedived. On July 9, 2024, the 58-year ban that was in force even during Mr. Vajpayee’s tenure as PM was removed,” Ramesh stated. He further remarked, “The bureaucracy can now come in knickers too, I suppose,” referencing the RSS’s former uniform of khaki shorts, which was replaced by brown trousers in 2016.Ramesh highlighted that the ban’s removal could have significant implications for the country’s administrative machinery, hinting at the possible increased influence of the RSS within government operations.
Contrasting sharply with the Congress’s stance, BJP’s IT department head, Amit Malviya, welcomed the government’s decision. Malviya described the original ban as “unconstitutional” and argued that it should never have been imposed. He shared the order on social media, celebrating the lifting of what he termed an unjust restriction on government employees.
Mahi Saha
Mahi Saha, from Ranchi, reports for Neo Politico.
