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Gujarat government withdraws RSS circular

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay

The Gujarat government ended the controversy of its employees attending Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh shakhas when it withdrew the controversial circular on Wednesday evening.

Bharatiya Janata Party general secretaries K N Govindacharya and M Venkaiah Naidu flew to Gandhinagar this afternoon and persuaded the Gujarat government to withdraw the circular.

The circular had become a bone of contention between the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance. Many NDA constituents were unhappy with the BJP's stance over the issue, and the controversy paralysed Parliament for over a week.

Gujarat Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya, told rediff.com, "We decided to withdraw the circular after the Congress party's decision to bring a stalemate at the Centre."

"The Congress has behaved in very undemocratic way and pressurised the state government to withdraw a circular which they had no right to do," he added in a telephone conversation.

Asked whether Gujarat BJP leaders had spoken to RSS leaders currently meeting in Nagpur, Pandya said, "So far we have not contacted them."

Was he unhappy with the BJP central leadership's decision? "Our leaders requested us to withdraw the circular," said Pandya, "and that is why we have done it."

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