RSS order: Mayawati accuses BJP-led Centre of appeasement
Mayawati claimed RSS activities were political and electoral in favour of a particular party
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday described the Centre's order lifting the ban on the participation of government employees in RSS activities as a politically motivated decision aimed at appeasing the organisation. She has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the order.
"The Centre's decision to lift the 58-year-old ban on government employees from attending RSS shakhas is a politically motivated move to appease the RSS rather than serving the national interest. This is to ease the tensions that intensified between the two after the Lok Sabha elections over government policies and their arrogant attitudes," Mayawati wrote on X in Hindi.
Mayawati claimed RSS activities were political and electoral in favour of a particular party. She said government employees must work within the framework of the Constitution.
"However, the activities of the RSS, which have often been banned, are not only political but also electoral for a particular party. In such a situation, this decision is unfair and should be withdrawn immediately," she said in the post.
The Congress on Sunday said a purported government order issued last week lifted the ban on the participation of government employees in the activities of the BJP's ideological mentor.
Also read: RSS's first reaction to government employee order: ‘Baselessly banned’
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya claimed the government had indeed revoked the "unconstitutional" directive.
Opposition slams BJP government
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the move “very strange”.
"This is very strange. RSS work and government work are different, both should not be together and the Narendra Modi government did not change this rule for 10 years, then why are you changing it now? It is the responsibility of government employees to work for everyone, work for the whole country. This is not fair, after retiring from service you can do whatever you want but when you are in the government you should remain neutral," Tharoor said while speaking to ANI outside Parliament on Monday.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the order "shameful".
"Earlier ED, CBI, and IT were all doing khaki work wearing khaki shorts. Now they will be able to speak openly. It is shameful that today our bureaucrats who should work for Bharat Mata and the government should promote it, will now work keeping their ideology in mind, this is shameful," she added.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the order was against India's integrity and unity.
"This office memo purportedly shows that the government has lifted the ban on government employees participating in RSS activities. If true, this is against India's integrity and unity. The ban on RSS exists because it refused to accept the constitution, the national flag and the national anthem," he wrote on X.
Owaisi claimed that RSS members take an oath that put Hindutva above the nation. He added that no civil servant can be loyal to the nation if they are members of the RSS.
Meanwhile, RSS lauded the BJP government's decision, saying the Congress government had baselessly banned government employees from participating in the activities of the organisation.
With inputs from PTI, ANI