Bhopal, Sep 14 (IANS) In a controversial move, the Madhya Pradesh government has lifted the ban on its employees joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), officials said Thursday.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the ban was lifted since nobody should be restricted from joining activities of an outfit like the RSS that was purely a cultural organisation.
"A circular issued by the government recently says that the restriction on government servants joining any political party or organisation does not apply to the RSS because it is a cultural organisation," an official said.
Former chief minister Digvijay Singh of the Congress had in May 2000 imposed the ban on the RSS, the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Congress has criticised the government for lifting the ban and warned of a statewide agitation against the decision.
Alleging that the RSS was a "terrorist organisation", Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal said that display of weapons by its members on various occasions amply proved it.