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Political Notes |
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TRS chief resigns from the Lok Sabha
Three weeks after quitting the Manmohan Singh Government, Telangana Rashtriya Samithi chief K. Chandrasekhra Rao announced his resignation from the Lok Sabha on Sept. 12. TRS had fought the 2004 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Congress. Saying that the TRS never hankered after power, Chandrasekhra Rao said he would fight till his last breath for the creation of Telangana state.
The Congress has said that it will put up a candidate for the Karimnagar seat whenever a by-election takes place for the Lok Sabha after Chandrasekhara Rao’s resignation of his Lok Sabha seat. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said in New Delhi on Sept. 13 that there appears to be no possibility of salvaging his party’s ties with the TRS.
Madhya Pradesh ends ban on staff taking part in RSS activities
The Madhya Pradesh Government which is run by the BJP has lifted the ban on state government employees taking part in RSS activities. The ban was imposed during President’s rule in Madhya Pradesh in 1993 barring state government employees from participating in RSS activities.
An order issued on April 29, 1993 specified that participating in RSS activities or functions of similar groups by government employees would be a violation of the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Conduct) Rules.
Though the rule was not revoked, the Congress-led Digvijay Singh government re-imposed the ban twice, first on May 30, 2000 and then on April 26, 2003. By the 2003 order, the services of any government employee found participating in RSS ‘shakhas’ could be terminated.
The order had also banned any RSS activity or propagation on government property.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan revoked this ban by an order issued by the general administration department one month ago. But this development was kept under wraps.
Speaking to reporters, Chauhan said: “The Madhya Pradesh Civil Service (Conduct) Rules prohibit state government employees from participating in activities of political parties. RSS is not a political organisation but a cultural one. Political prejudice led to the ban.”
The Congress is irate over the development, saying it didn’t even know about the latest order.
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