India removes 58-year-long ban on civil servants associating with paramilitary group RSS News
Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
India removes 58-year-long ban on civil servants associating with paramilitary group RSS

The Indian government has removed a 58-year-long ban forbidding civil servants and bureaucrats from joining or associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its activities, as reported by an opposition leader on Sunday.

Jairam Ramesh, a Member of Parliament (MP), affiliated with the opposition Indian National Congress posted a picture on his X (formerly Twitter) of the memorandum removing the ban passed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

In his post, Jairam Ramesh also stated that the ban was put in place after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by the nationalist leader and then deputy prime minister of the country, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for rightful reasons. Moreover, the ban was lifted but was reimposed in 1966 on government employees participating in RSS activities. His post also read, “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. ”

The result of India’s elections for its lower house, the Lok Sabha, was announced on June 4 when the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) formed a coalition government for a third consecutive term.

RSS is a Hindu paramilitary volunteer organization which saw a temporary ban when Nathuram Godse and his co-conspirators assassinated renowned nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. Godse and the co-conspirators were found to be members of RSS and Hindu Mahasabha which allegedly influenced Gandhi’s assassination. However, the ban on RSS was subsequently lifted but reimposed in 1966.

The Modi-led government is alleged to be “on the same page” with the RSS along with many underlying connections with the right-wing organization. This has been frequently criticized on the grounds of India being a democratic country with a secular constitution.

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