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Behind the BJP’s move to lift the 58-year-old ban on the participation of central government officials in RSS activities

The order allowing government officials’ participation in RSS activities was released on July 9 by the Department of Personnel and Training, which falls directly under PM Modi, opposition leaders deem the same to be Modi government’s efforts to take control over constitutional bodies and work its way in through the backdoor, tampering with the Constitution

July 2024 marked the second month of the third term of the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance’s rule in the Centre. Many have criticised the government for being unable to deal with the issue of rising unemployment, inflation, illegal demolitions, declining level of education and paper leaks, silence over Manipur violence and declining press freedom, amongst other issues. Even as the country has been grappling with such major issues, the Bharatiya Janata Party led NDA is busy with ensuring that their ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) remains safeguarded. In a new move, which has erupted a political row, the Union government issued a notice allowing government officials to participate in the Sangh’s activities.

The order on government officials’ participation in RSS activities was released on July 9 by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which handles matters pertaining to union government personnel. The DoPT stated that instructions from 1966, 1970, and 1980 on the subject “have been reviewed and it has been decided to remove the mention of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)” from the “impugned Official Memorandums.” It is crucial to highlight that while the DoPT was formerly under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs till 1998, it now serves as a Cabinet Ministry directly under PM Narendra Modi.

The notice is as follows:

The decision came after some disguised attacks were reportedly made by Mohan Bhagwat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s sarsanghchalak, or chief, against PM Modi. Bhagwat, in a few speeches since the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election 2024 has remarked on the “a lack of decorum” during the election campaign, and hinted at the glaring failure of the Union government to contain the continuing conflict in Manipur. More recently, on July 18, Bhagwat reportedly took another dig at PM Modi’s remarks that he was non-biological and convinced that he was sent by God. Video emerged of Bhagwat delivering a speech at a village-level workers’ meeting organised by Vikas Bharti Gumla, Jharkhand showed Bhagwat saying that “men aim to become “superman,” then “devta,” (God) “bhagwan,” (deity) and even aspire for “vishwaroop” (omnipresent). He said that people should strive for the welfare of humanity, as the pursuit of development is endless”.

A report of the Indian Express stated that the move to lift the ban by the BJP was made in response to the recent strains in the party’s relationship with the RSS and was interpreted as the party’s “positive gesture” to “call a truce” with its ideological parent. According to the IE article, the sources also stated that the BJP was assured that the Sangh’s leaders would not publicly criticise it or its leadership.

The three circulars in contention:

It was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who had banned the RSS. In their resolution of February 2, 1948, following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, the Government of India had declared their determination to root out the forces of hate and violence that are at work in our country and imperil the freedom of the Nation and darken her fair name. In pursuance of this policy, the Government of India had decided to declare unlawful the RSS in the Chief Commissioner’s Provinces. Similar action was also taken in the Governor’s Provinces. (Details of the notice issued from archives of the Home Ministry, Government of India, can be accessed here.) Subsequently, the ban was withdrawn on the assurances given by the RSS of its good behaviour, though it never flew the national tricolour at its headquarters in Nagpur.

  • November 30,1966 Circular: Issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it prohibited government servants from participating in RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami activities, citing Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.

The document of 1966 had 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 government have 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. Any government servant, who is a member of or is otherwise associated with the aforesaid organisations or with their activities is liable to disciplinary action”.

  • July 25, 1970 Circular: Reiterated the 1966 directive and stressed disciplinary action against violators.
  • October 28,1980 Circular: Emphasized the need for secularism among government servants and reiterated previous orders against communal organizations.

Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 prohibits government servants from associating with political parties or organizations involved in politics. In addition to this, similar to the 1964 Rules, All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 is applicable to Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Services, and Indian Forest Service officers, and law the aforementioned prohibitions.

The original 1966 circular can be viewed as follows:

In year 2000, unsurprisingly, it was the Keshubhai Patel-led Gujarat government that had lifted the ban on public/government servants who belonged to the RSS. In September 2006, when the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan had first claimed power in the state of Madhya Pradesh, he had lifted the restriction on state government employee’s participation in RSS by stating that the RSS is a “socio-cultural organisation and not a political entity”. Justifying the decision, Chouhan had said, “The ban was imposed out of prejudice.

In 2021, the Haryana government had lifted a decades-old order that banned the state’s government employees from taking part in any RSS activities. The state’s then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was a proud veteran RSS pracharak. His government has withdrawn the orders, issued in 1967 and 1980, which restricted government employees from participating in the activities of RSS.

The implications of the notice:

Through the order issued by the union government implies that the RSS is not considered a political organization, allowing central government employees to participate in its activities without violating conduct rules. However, the Jamaat-e-Islami will remain to be classified as a political organization. In the case of the employees of the state government, they have their own conduct rules, and their stance on RSS participation varies.

One should be aware that the wider implications of this new order, which blurs the lines of professional conduct and socio-political affiliations, even if RSS claims it is not a political body.  The professed aims and objects of the RSS are to promote the physical, intellectual and moral well–being of the “Hindus” and also to foster feelings of brotherhood, love and service amongst them. It is no secret anymore that undesirable and even dangerous activities have been carried on by members of the Sangh. It has been found that in several parts of the country individual members of RSS have indulged in acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity, and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. Under the guise of awakening the “Hindus” of India, attempts are being made to turn India into a country for the Hindu nation, with certain religious communities and ideological inclinations being deemed as “anti-Hindu”.

In the recent times, more and more public functionaries have been vocal in their appreciation for the RSS, as well as their association with the said organisation. In May 2024, the retiring Calcutta High Court judge Justice Chitta Ranjan Dash had stated the RSS had helped him shape his personality and instil courage and patriotism in him. Dash had further said that he had been associated with the RSS since his childhood. During his retirement speech, Dash had said “I must admit here that I was and I am a member of the RSS,” according to Bar and Bench. Notably, in October of 2023, Dash had come under criticism for his judgment that had issued a code of conduct for adolescent girls to “control their sexual urges” so that they are not deemed a “loser” by society. The Supreme Court had taken suo-moto cognizance of the said judgment, and come down heavily on it by holding that “writing such judgments is absolutely wrong”.

Prior to this, in 2023, while Justice Lakshmana Victoria Gowri was sworn in as an additional judge of the Madras High Court, her association with RSS in her formative years and later with BJP had come to the forefront. Her past speeches, especially against Christian missionaries, and ties with the BJP and RSS had come to haunt Gowri with a group of senior lawyers writing to the Collegium against her appointment and approaching the Courts as well to oppose her elevation. However, she was sworn in as an additional judge.

After winning the election to become the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president in May 2024, Kapil Sibal had also pointed to the potential erosion of judicial independence and integrity by highlighting that the judiciary today “Have judges who after retirement say they were part of RSS and want to go back to it”.

Determining political nature or association of an individual with the RSS was already challenging due to its informal membership system, but now that the ban on participating in the activities of the RSS has been lifted, we can predict a further denigration of the ethos and values promoted by the Indian Constitution. In addition to this, the move of the union government will have potentially deleterious repercussions, as not only will government officials be permitted to join the RSS, but also all will view RSS membership as sure qualification for getting promotions and prize postings.

Reaction to the move; some welcome it, majority condemn

As expected, the lifting of the ban was welcomed by the members of BJP and the RSS, with the Sangh affirming that it is an “appropriate decision”. BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya also shared a screenshot of the July 9 order and said that an “unconstitutional” directive issued 58 years ago has been withdrawn by the Narendra Modi government. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Amit Malviya wrote, “The unconstitutional order issued 58 years ago, in 1966, imposing a ban on government employees taking part in the activities of the RSS has been withdrawn by the Modi government. The original order shouldn’t have been passed in the first place.”

BJP leader and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, as has become the norm, pointed fingers at the Congress party for bringing in the ban, claiming that the 1966 ban was driven by political reasons. “The Congress has always had a negative mindset for nationalist organisations and such thinking has no place in the country,” he said.

On the other hand, Congress MP and senior leader KC Venugopal called the Ministry of Personnel’s order a “very unfortunate move,” saying the BJP-led central government is not learning any lesson from the people’s verdict while referring to the fall of the BJP party’s seats from 303 to 240 in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Targeting the government, Kharge commented in a post on X: “This will be a challenge to the sense of neutrality of public servants in government offices and the supremacy of the Constitution. The government is probably taking these steps because the people defeated its nefarious intent to change the Constitution.”

Kharge said the Modi government continues its efforts to take control over constitutional bodies and work its way in through the backdoor and tamper with the Constitution. This is also a violation of the apology and assurance given by RSS to Sardar Patel in which they had promised that RSS would work as a social organisation without any political agenda, in accordance with the Constitution of India. The Opposition will continue its efforts to protect the Constitution and the democracy, Kharge said in his social media post.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh came down heavily on the Union government, claiming that the ban, which was upheld even during former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, was lifted on July 9. Remembering Sardar Patel, who banned RSS in February 1948, the Congress leader said that “the ban on assurances of good behaviour was subsequently withdrawn. Even after this, the RSS never flew the Tiranga in Nagpur. In 1966, a ban was imposed – and rightly so – on government employees taking part in RSS activities,” he said.

Ramesh further remarked that with the said move, the bureaucrats could now come to their office in knickers. He also commented that the decision was taken after June 4, 2024, when the relations between the “self-anointed non-biological PM” and the RSS have nosedived following the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results.

“…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 bureaucracy can now come in knickers too, I suppose,” he added.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi also criticised the government for lifting the ban on government employees participating in RSS activities. “…if true, this is against India’s integrity and unity. The ban on RSS exists because it refused to accept the constitution, the national flag and the national anthem. The ban on RSS exists because it had originally refused to accept the constitution, the national flag & the national anthem. Every RSS member takes an oath that puts Hindutva above the nation. No civil servant can be loyal to the nation if he is a member of RSS.”

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati demanded that the government withdraw the order and said the Centre’s decision was politically motivated and aimed at appeasing the RSS to alleviate the “bitterness that has intensified between the two after the Lok Sabha elections over government policies and their arrogant attitudes”. She said the order was “beyond the national interest”.

 

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