Govt employees being politicised by PM Modi on ideological basis: Congress

The Congress slammed the BJP-led Centre on Monday over its order removing a ban on the participation of government employees in RSS activities, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to politicise employees on an ideological basis.

The attack by the Congress, which also said the move would be a challenge to the sense of neutrality of public servants, came after a government order about the ban being lifted became public and several opposition leaders criticised it.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 'On this day in 1947, India adopted its national flag but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), opposed the tricolour and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had warned the organisation against it.'

"Sardar Patel had also banned RSS after Gandhiji's assassination on February 4, 1948. Modiji has lifted a 1966 ban on government servants attending RSS activities, after 58 years," Kharge said.

"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," he alleged.

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.

The government is probably taking these steps because the people of the country defeated its "nefarious intent to change the Constitution", he said.

"The Modi government continues its efforts to take control over constitutional bodies and work its way in through the back door and tamper with the Constitution," Kharge alleged.

"This is also a violation of the apology and assurance given by RSS to Sardar Patel in which they had promised that RSS will work as a social organisation without any political agenda, in accordance with the Constitution of India," he said.

Kharge asserted that the opposition shall continue its efforts to protect the Constitution and democracy.

His remarks came a day after Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared on X an office memorandum dated July 9, issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension and pertaining to the participation of 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 (RSSS) from the impugned OMs dated 30.11.1966, 25.07.1970 and 28.10.1980," the order read.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the Modi government did not tinker with the order for 10 years and wondered why the Centre is changing it now.

"What is the meaning of it? Does this mean that the government staff will work with different loyalty or what? There are people with the RSS or against it. The government employees' responsibility is to work for everyone," the Lok Sabha MP told reporters outside Parliament.

"There might be political inclination, but cannot work like this. They are openly doing it. What has happened to impartiality? The rule was correct and had a reason for it. It should remain like that. One can do whatever one wants to after retirement, but government staff should be neutral and see everyone equally," Tharoor said.

In a post on X on Sunday, along with a picture of the order, Ramesh said, "Sardar Patel had banned the RSS in February 1948 following Gandhiji'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, the former Union minister said.

"After June 4, 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 Lok Sabha poll results were announced on June 4.

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

BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya also shared a screenshot of the order on X and said an "unconstitutional" directive issued 58 years ago has been withdrawn by the Modi government.

Ramesh too shared a 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.