'Officials flaunt RSS affiliation after BJP came to power': MP minister's remarks spark row

NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has triggered a political controversy after claiming that administrative officials in the state have been competing to demonstrate their affiliation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since the BJP came to power."When we were in the government, some officer came and said, 'Sir, I used to go to the shakha.' Hey, you go now... You never told me before our government came to power," PTI quoted him saying."Every officer and employee thinks this...After the government came to power, everyone became part of the RSS. Every officer became part of the RSS," he said.Vijayvargiya also narrated how one official claimed that his father had been the president of an RSS shakha, even though, according to the minister, no such position exists within the organisation.At the same event, the minister lamented what he described as a shortage of committed workers in the RSS despite its expanding reach.Referring to late RSS pracharak Shaligram Tomar and other Sangh functionaries from Madhya Pradesh, he said, "Such people are rare. The organisation is growing, and its ideology is also growing. But if there are no good people, then we should reflect and ponder over the importance of that ideology."The remarks, made during a memorial event for a former RSS pracharak on Friday, drew sharp criticism from the Congress, which alleged that the statement raised serious questions about the neutrality of the bureaucracy and the constitutional functioning of the administrative system.Madhya Pradesh Congress committee chief Jitu Patwari shared a video of Vijayvargiya's speech on X and called it a "matter of constitutional concern.""The public statement by Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, cabinet minister of the Madhya Pradesh Government, raises an extremely serious constitutional question! According to him, 'After the government was formed, officials have started describing themselves as affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh!'" he said."If such a trend of identification is growing within the administrative machinery, then this is not merely a political comment, but a deep and serious issue connected to the impartiality, neutrality, and constitutional propriety of the Indian administrative system! The Constitution of India expects that every official of the government remain loyal to the Constitution, not to any political or ideological organization! Therefore, a constitutional review of this statement is essential!" he added.Patwari also urged President Droupadi Murmu and Madhya Pradesh governor Mangubhai Patel to take cognisance of the matter and sought a constitutional review of the minister's remarks.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.