'Ban' on government employees taking part in RSS activities removed: Congress, BJP cite DoPT 'order'

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday cited a purported government order issued last week to claim that a "ban" on the participation of government employees in the activities of the RSS has been removed.

While the veracity of the purported government order, which was posted on X by Congress leaders, could not be ascertained immediately, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya also shared the screenshot of the order and said that an "unconstitutional" directive issued 58 years ago has been withdrawn by the Modi government.

Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh shared an office memorandum, dated July 9, issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension pertaining to the participation of the government servants in the activities of the RSS.

"The undersigned is directed to refer to the OM (office memorandum)..dated 30.11.1966, OM No. 7/4/70-Est.(B) dated 25.07.1970 and OM No. 15014/3(S)/80- Estt. (B) dated 28.10.1980 on the above subject. 2. The aforesaid instructions have been reviewed and it has been decided to remove the mention of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (R.S.S.S) from the impugned OMs dated 30.11.1966, 25.07.1970 and 28.10.1980," the purported order read.

In a post along with the picture of the order, Ramesh said, "Sardar Patel had banned the RSS in February 1948 following Gandhi ji's assassination. Subsequently, the ban was withdrawn on assurances of good behaviour. 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, Ramesh said.

"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," he said.

"The bureaucracy can now come in knickers too I suppose," Ramesh said, alluding to the RSS uniform of khaki shorts which was replaced by brown trousers in 2016.

The Congress leader also shared the screenshot of the original order dated November 30, 1966, banning the association of government servants with the activities of the RSS and the Jamaat-e-Islami.

Tagging the July 9 order, BJP's Amit Malviya said, "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 BJP leader said.

Sharing a screenshot of the order, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said that 58 years ago, the central government had imposed a ban on government employees taking part in the activities of the RSS.

The Modi government has withdrawn the order, he said.