Rajasthan govt asks employees to detail their links with RSS

Jaipur: The Ajmer district administration has asked employees to submit detailed information about their links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) branches, operational in the district.

The circular, issued by Additional District Collector Kailash Chandra Sharma, has asked employees to submit self-declaration letters detailing name, surname, department and the name of RSS branch to which he/she is associated with.

According to official sources, the home department has directed all district collectors to collect such information.

Gangapur city MLA Ramkesh had raised a query in Assembly on July 23 about government employees' association with RSS branches. He had also sought to know how many RSS branches were operational in the state and at which all places.

He also wanted to know the level of participation of government employees and officials in these branches and the government's view on action against them.

However, Ajmer MLA Vasudev Devnani has criticised the circular. "This letter of the additional district collector is condemnable. The RSS has been a socio-cultural organisation and hence demanding such self-declaration from government employees is unconstitutional," he said

Terming it a vendetta politics which could not be tolerated, Devnani said the government employees had never been asked to give in writing their links with socio-cultural organisations.

Meanwhile, the Additional District collector said the information had been sought to prepare a reply to the question asked in the Assembly.

Earlier, when Sirohi MLA Sanyam Lodha raised a similar query, the government said employees were restricted to join such organisations under the personnel conduct rules 1971.

An RSS worker said the data collection was just an act to threaten these employees. "It's a tool to threaten them, but it shall not make an impact," he added.