Neutrality in jeopardy as BJP placates RSS
The Central government’s decision to lift the ban on government employees from participating in the activities of the RSS should be seen in the context of the perceived cooling off of the relations between the BJP and its ideological mentor. The decision may be an attempt to placate the RSS after some recent statements and moves on both sides had shown mutual distancing. RSS leaders, including its chief Mohan Bhagwat, had, without naming names, criticised the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP President J P Nadda had said that the party was independent and could run its own affairs. There is bound to be discomfort in the party and the government over the alienation, and the decision to lift the ban could be intended to improve the relationship. This is clear from the fact that the government did not consider lifting the ban in the last 10 years though it has been in place for over 50 years.
Circulars issued by successive governments in 1966, 1970 and 1980 had barred government servants from becoming members of or participating in the activities of organisations such as the RSS and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The All India Service Rules had also reflected this. The rules have barred government servants from joining political parties and organisations which have political links. The order issued by the government on July 9 removed the RSS from the earlier orders, thus lifting the ban. There have been court cases in the matter in some states. The bar on government officials is based on the principle that political governance and administration should be separate, and while they are complementary, they should not breach the lines that divide them. While the bureaucracy is permanent, the political government changes in a democracy, and so it is not right for officialdom to be politically associated with any government. The division of functions flows from the nature of government and division of powers envisaged in the Constitution.
The RSS is the ideological fountainhead of the BJP. No one would accept the claim that it is only a cultural organisation. It has a clear politics, and the BJP is the prominent face of its politics. Allowing government officials to be RSS activists is to undermine the neutral character of officialdom. It will politicise the bureaucracy and give rise to conflicts between officials and the government when a different party comes to power. This is an attempt to take control of the country’s most stable institution of governance. It should also be noted that the state government’s conduct rules for employees in most states retain the bar.