It's like a son going to his mother: Naidu

The Government on Saturday defended BJP Ministers attending a meeting with Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) saying it was like “son going to his mother” and no oath of secrecy was broken. “It’s like son going to mother. How can anybody find fault with itIJ” said Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, M Venkaiah Naidu. 

The Congress has said Ministers reporting to RSS was violation of the oath of secrecy. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh rejected these charges. “We have not broken any oath of secrecy. By attending a meeting — be it public or an indoor, no oath of secrecy is broken,” Singh said in Pune. He also dismissed Opposition charges that the RSS was running the government by saying he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are both ‘Swyamsevaks’ of the RSS.

“I want to clarify everyone that I am a RSS ‘Swayamsevak’ (worker), the Prime Minister is a RSS ‘Swayamsevak and no one should have any problem in it,” he said. Singh also rejected Congress allegation that RSS is running the Modi government.

On Congress criticism of union ministers reporting government matters to the RSS, which was giving directions to the government, Naidu said ministers’ consultation with RSS was not extra-constitutional, but 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi) deciding on issues of UPA government was.

Hailing the RSS as a nationalistic organization, Naidu clarified that BJP is in regular touch with it and other bodies like ABVP. “We meet frequently and exchange ideas. There is nothing extra constitutional in this. The extra-constitutional was 10 Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence) deciding the issues of the 7 RCR (Prime Minister’s residence”),” Naidu said.

“The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) takes a decision and the Congress vice-president asks to tear that order in a Press conference. That was indeed extra constitutional,” Naidu said referring to press conference in Press Club in 2013 when Rahul Gandhi denounced the controversial ordinance to negate the Supreme Court verdict on convicted lawmakers as “complete nonsense”.

The BJP and RSS top brass had a three-day “coordination” meeting during which top union ministers came face-to-face with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and top Sangh leaders and briefed them about the government’s initiaves. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the dialogue on the last day of the “coordination” meeting. Congress had criticised the ministers for attending the meeting alleging that the RSS was acting like a remote control and running the Modi dispensation.