RSS purely a cultural organisation, says Kalia

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 10

Punjab's former Cabinet Minister Manoranjan Kalia has asked Congress leader Manish Tewari not get panicky over the visit of Former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee to the RSS Head Quarter at Nagpur.

He said that Pranab Mukherjee is a statesman and enjoys a stature above party politics and cannot be circumscribed within the parochial limits of Congress Party.

“May I remind Munish Tiwari that the ban on RSS in 1975 was on account of declaration of emergency by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India to subvert the decision of the High Court in which the Election of Indira Gandhi was declared null and void on account of corrupt practices in her election,” said Kalia.

He further added that the said declaration of Emergency and the ban of RSS was negated by the people of India in 1977 General Election when Congress was voted 

out of power.

He also said the other ban of RSS in 1992 was subsequently lifted in 1993 when no evidence of any unlawful activity was found by the tribunal constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is purely a cultural organisation to inculcate and strengthen the spirit of Nationalism and Indian culture, he claimed.