The Narendra Modi-led central government has lifted a decades-old ban on government employees participating in activities associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as confirmed by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
In a recent post on X, Ramesh shared an order from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), dated July 9, which officially removed the restriction on government staff engaging in RSS activities. This ban had been in place since 1966.
Ramesh highlighted the historical context of the ban, noting that “Sardar Patel had banned the RSS in February 1948 following Gandhi ji’s assassination. Subsequently, the ban was withdrawn on assurances of good behavior. Even after this, the RSS never flew the Tiranga in Nagpur.”
The 1966 ban was reintroduced due to concerns over the appropriateness of government employees participating in the activities of the RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami. The order stated, “As certain doubts have been raised about the government’s policy with respect to the membership of and participation in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh and the Jamaat-e-Islami by government servants, it is clarified that the government has always held the activities of these two organisations to be of such a nature that participation in them by government servants would attract the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules.”
Ramesh criticized the lifting of the ban and questioned its timing, remarking, “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.” He also commented, “The bureaucracy can now come in knickers too I suppose,” referencing the RSS uniform of khaki shorts, which was replaced by brown trousers in 2016.
In contrast, BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya welcomed the decision, sharing a screenshot of the order and stating, “The unconstitutional order issued 58 years ago, in 1966, imposing a ban on government employees taking part in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been withdrawn by the Modi government.” Malviya argued that the original order should not have been enacted.
