In a significant policy shift, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has officially revoked the ban on government employees’ involvement in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities, a restriction that had been in effect since 1966.
The MHA prominently displayed the announcement on its website Wednesday, ensuring public access to the new directive.
The MHA had issued the order earlier in July, effectively ending the 58-year-old prohibition.
The government enforced the original ban, including Jamaat-e-Islami, on November 30, 1966, to prevent government servants from associating with these organizations.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya lauded the decision in a post on X, calling the initial 1966 ban unconstitutional.
He credited the Modi government for rectifying what he described as a historic wrong.
Malviya stated that the Modi government has withdrawn the unconstitutional 1966 order that banned government employees from participating in RSS activities.
“The original order shouldn’t have been passed in the first place,” he further added.
The unconstitutional order issued 58 years ago, in 1966, imposing a ban on Govt employees taking part in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been withdrawn by the Modi Govt. The original order shouldn’t have been passed in the first place.
The ban was imposed… pic.twitter.com/Gz0Yfmftrp
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 22, 2024
In contrast, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh provided historical context to the debate in his own X post.
He referenced Sardar Patel’s 1948 ban on the RSS after Gandhi’s assassination, which the RSS later lifted by promising good conduct.
Ramesh criticized the organization’s historical reluctance to fly the national flag in Nagpur, suggesting the RSS had not entirely adhered to the conditions set for the ban’s lifting.
Before the MHA’s latest directive, several state governments, including Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, had already relaxed restrictions on their employees’ participation in RSS activities.
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