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Ban on Indian govt officials joining Hindu group lifted, triggering debate on neutrality

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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat (R) attends the book launch of Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle (L) in Mumbai on June 28, 2024. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP)

After the June election results, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat (right) said a true sevak (a person whose job is to serve people) must not be “arrogant”.

PHOTO: AFP

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The lifting of a ban on government officials joining the ideological parent of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked a debate on the potential impact of the move on the neutrality of the country’s bureaucracy.

On July 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs uploaded on its website an order – passed on July 9 – removing the four-decade-old ban on officials joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an outfit working for Hindu unity in the Hindu-majority country. 

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