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Rajasthan lifts 52-year-old ban on government employees participating in RSS activities
The ban had been in place since 1972, when Congress was in power
The BJP government in Rajasthan has lifted the ban on the participation of government employees in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The State government has decided to remove the name of the RSS from the list of organisations whose activities were earlier banned in the orders issued in 1972 and 1981.
Personnel Department’s Joint Secretary Rajendra Singh Kavia issued a circular here over the weekend declaring that the 52-year-old ban on the government officials had been lifted. The circular stated that the decision was taken after a review of the earlier orders.
The earlier orders contained the names of 17 organisations with the provision for disciplinary action against the government employees if they were associated with any of them or took part in their activities. The employees will now be able to join shakhas (morning assemblies) and all other activities of RSS.
The ban on joining the RSS, which is considered the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, has been in place in the State since 1972, when the Congress was in power. Since then, the BJP had formed the government four times under the leadership of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Vasundhara Raje, but the ban continued to be in force.
Centre withdrew order in July
In July this year, the Centre lifted the ban on government officials taking part in the RSS activities, attracting criticism from the Opposition leaders. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out that the BJP-led government had withdrawn an order, which was in place even during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime.
Several BJP-ruled States have followed suit after the Centre’s decision, Rajasthan being the latest among them. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have removed the restrictions on government employees having links with the RSS.
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