V-P claims RSS has unimpeachable credentials

New Delhi: Jagdeep Dhankhar, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, publicly backed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Wednesday, stating that the group possessed “unimpeachable credentials” and constitutional rights to promote the development of the nation.

Referencing a report in The Indian Express about recommendations from the RSS for appointments, Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman claimed that the government's primary criterion for appointments was whether or not a person belonged to the RSS. Suman made this allegation during Question Hour in the Upper House, specifically regarding the National Testing Agency. Chairman took exception to the remark and requested Suman to continue with his question.

As long as the member complied with the rules, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge stated Dhankhar should permit them to speak, to which the Chairman replied that Suman had “trampled the Constitution of India”.

“RSS is an organisation which is a global think tank of the highest order… I will not permit honourable members to single out an organisation which is doing national service… I hereby rule that RSS is an organisation that has full constitutional rights to participate in the development journey of this nation. This organisation bears unimpeachable credentials, comprises of people who are deeply committed to serving the nation selflessly. To take exception that a member of this organisation cannot participate in development journey of the nation is not only unconstitutional, but beyond the rules,” he said.

He also stated that everyone should be proud of an organisation that contributes to national welfare.

“…if we take exception like this, it is indicative of undemocratic situations. It is antithetical to the preamble of our Constitution. We are doing great disservice to the nation and the Constitution by taking such divisive stance…I increasingly find that people are engaging into divisive activities. This is a pernicious design, a sinister mechanism to run down the growth of the country,” he said.

Any organisation, including the RSS, he said, had a right to support the development of the nation. Restrictions prohibiting government personnel from engaging in RSS activities were recently relaxed by the Union government, Indian Express reported.

The office memorandum that forbade government personnel from participating in RSS activities was removed from OMs from 1966, 1970, and 1980 on July 9 by the Department of Personnel and Training. The chairman's comments resulted from Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Shiv Sena MP, asking a question on the NTA's operations and the steps taken in response to the anomalies and leaks in last month's NEET (UG) and UGC NET exams. According to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the updated NEET (UG) 2024 results were released on July 26.

According to him, a high-level committee was established by the Ministry of Education on June 22 to recommend strategies for the NTA to administer tests smoothly. He stated that during the previous seven years, about five crore students have taken part in various NTA exams.

When he was asked by Chaturvedi about what action was taken against the burgeoning coaching industry, the Minister said: “I have no hesitation in saying that coaching centres should not be there. We will have to bring students out of the world of coaching centres with the consensus of all.”