‘Lift Ban on Central Government Employees from Associating with the RSS’: Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh Writes to the Prime Minister

The Secretary-General of Government Employees National Confederation, affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), in a letter to the Prime Minister of India, demanded to lift the ban on the central government employees from working with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The letter points out that in accordance to provisions of DP & AR OM No. 15014/3/(S)/80-Estt. (B), dated 28.10.1980, there is a ban on participating in the activities of RSS by the Central Government Employees.

Through an order dated November 30, 1966, (by the Ministry of Home Affairs), the then Congress government has imposed the ban on swayamsevaks, who work in various departments under the Union Government. Unfortunately, the order has been reiterated time and again by the successive governments.

As per a Gazette Notification dated July3-4, 1975, certain organisations including the RSS have been banned under the provisions of Rule 33 of the Defence and Internal Security of India Rules, 1971. “This rule, inter alia, provided that no person shall:- (a) Manage or assist in managing any organization to which the rule applies; (b) Promote or assist in promoting a meeting or any member of such an organization, or attend any such meeting in any capacity; (c) publish any notice or advertisement relating to any such meeting; and (d) invite persons to support such an organisation or otherwise in any way assist the operations of such an organization,” the letter stated.

Interestingly, any person who contravenes any of the provisions of the above rule, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine or with both! Post emergency, after the formation of the Congress government in 1980, once again the ban was imposed, and till date, the order is valid and has not been suspended.

The letter further clarifies that the RSS is a social service organisation and many Government employees may be interested in doing social work for the benefit of Nation Building. “… due to this ban and the fear of disciplinary action, they are not able to lend their hand in a genuine cause of Nation Building,” Sadhu Singh, Secretary Geeneral of the Government Employees National Confederation says.

The organisation has appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter personally and direct the concerned Ministry to issue necessary amendments permitting the government employees to participate in nation-building activities.

In 2000, the Keshubhai Patel-led BJP government in Gujarat had lifted the ban on the participation of state government employees in activities of the RSS, that was in force through the Union Government guidelines.