Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared the order
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had cited an office memorandum in his/her post. This memorandum is said to be of July 9. Jairam Ramesh said on the post, ‘Sardar Patel had banned RSS after the assassination of Gandhiji in February 1948. After this, the ban was lifted on the assurance of good conduct. Even after this, RSS never hoisted the tricolor in Nagpur. In 1966, a ban was imposed on government employees participating in RSS activities – and it was the right decision too. This is the official order issued in 1966 to ban it. After June 4, 2024, the relationship between the self-proclaimed non-biological Prime Minister and RSS has soured. On July 9, 2024, the 58-year ban was lifted which was also in force during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister. I believe that bureaucracy can now come in shorts as well.’
This is related to the participation of government employees in the activities of RSS. But this memorandum was not found on the DoPT website. The authenticity of this alleged government order shared by Congress leaders on X could not be confirmed.
What is in the government order?
Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh posted a picture of an office memorandum late Sunday night. The memorandum is dated July 9. It deals with “participation of government servants in RSS activities”. The alleged order reads, “The subordinate is directed to refer to the OM (Office Memorandum) dated 30.11.1966, OM No. 7/4/70-Estt.(B) dated 25.07.1970 and OM No. 15014/3(S)/80-Estt.(B) dated 28.10.1980 on the subject. The above instructions have been reviewed and it has been decided to delete the mention of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from the impugned OMs dated 30.11.1966, 25.07.1970 and 28.10.1980.” The alleged order has DoPT written on it.
Congress accuses RSS
Ramesh said in a post, ‘Sardar Patel had banned RSS in February 1948 after Gandhiji’s assassination. Later, the ban was lifted on the assurance of good behaviour. Even after this, RSS did not hoist the tricolor in Nagpur.’
BJP IT cell chief praised
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya has also posted this order on X. he/she said, ‘The unconstitutional order issued 58 years ago in 1966, which banned government employees from participating in the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has been withdrawn by the Modi government. The original order should not have been passed in the first place. This ban was imposed because on 7 November 1966, a big protest was held in Parliament against cow slaughter. RSS-Jan Sangh had gathered the support of lakhs of people. Many people were killed in police firing. On 30 November 1966, shaken by the influence of RSS-Jan Sangh, Indira Gandhi banned government employees from joining RSS.’
What is the history of this order?
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has welcomed this order. The central government has amended the orders issued by the then governments in 1966, 1970 and 1980, which prohibited government employees from participating in RSS shakhas and its other activities. It is alleged that the previous Congress governments had banned government employees from participating in the programs of the Sangh. There was a provision to give severe punishment to the employees for participating in RSS activities. Keeping in mind the pension benefits etc. after retirement, government employees used to avoid participating in the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. However, in the meantime, many state governments including Madhya Pradesh had repealed this order, but even after this it remained valid at the level of the central government. A case was going on in the Indore court in this matter, on which the court had sought clarification from the central government. Taking action on this, the central government issued an order and announced the end of the said restrictions.
