Oppn leaders question decision allowing govt employees to participate in Sangh activities

New Delhi: The BJP and the RSS on Monday hailed the Centre’s move to lift a ban on government employees from participating in activities of the Hindutva

organisation, while opposition parties slammed the decision, alleging that it is aimed at politicising employees around an ideology.

In a statement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said the revocation of the ban would strengthen the country’s democratic system and accused previous governments, mostly headed by the Congress, of furthering their political interests by targeting the RSS.

The order barring government employees from attending the activities of the RSS was issued in 1966, when the Congress was in power.

Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Piyush Goyal alleged that the ban was driven by political reasons and that the Congress has always had a negative mindset towards nationalist organisations in its pursuit of appeasement politics.

Criticising the Narendra Modi government’s decision, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on X, “We know how BJP is using RSS to institutionally take over all constitutional and autonomous bodies. By lifting the ban on government employees from participating in RSS activities, Modiji wants to politicise government offices and employees on ideological basis.”

This will be a challenge to the sense of neutrality of public servants in government offices and the supremacy

of the Constitution, the Congress chief said.