Naveen Patnaik calls Centre lifting ban on govt staff joining RSS ‘shocking’

BJD leader Pratap Jena came out against the Uttar Pradesh government order that required shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names

Published on: Jul 22, 2024, 20:04:12 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, on Monday termed the Centre withdrawing the 1966 order that debarred civil servants from joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as shocking.

“I cannot believe it. It seems utterly shocking,” said Patnaik when asked about the office memorandum issued early this month withdrawing the November 1966 order that barred civil servants from joining organisations that carry out political activities.

In 2009 just ahead of the assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Patnaik broke ranks with BJP upset over the role of RSS in fomenting the Hindu-Christian communal riot in Kandhamal district a year earlier that led to 40 killings and destruction of houses and places of worship. As the riots brought international condemnation for Patnaik, he came out strongly against the riots declaring that all the bones in his body were secular.

“Every bone in my body is secular and I don’t think that any of those bones have been damaged,” Patnaik later said in a TV interview to journalist Karan Thapar.

In a related development, senior BJD leader Pratap Jena came out against the Uttar Pradesh government order that required shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names. Calling the order troubling, Jena said it invaded people’s privacy and created religious tension by targeting specific groups. “Instead of bringing people together, it seems intended to divide and instill fear. The holy month of Sawan should be about unity and peace, not policies that cause conflict. The government should focus on important issues like healthcare, education, and infrastructure rather than enforcing unnecessary and divisive rules,” he tweeted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Home/Cities/Others/Naveen Patnaik Calls Centre Lifting Ban On Govt Staff Joining RSS ‘shocking’