• UGI USER
  • Aug 03, 2024
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ELEPHANT IN THE CIVIL SERVANT’S ROOM

Syllabus: 

  • GS – 2 – Civil Services in India.
  • GS – 4 – Impartiality and Non-Partisanship in Civil Services.

Focus :

The article discusses the recent decision by the Indian government to lift the ban on government servants joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It explores the implications of this policy change, highlighting the ideological conflict between the RSS’s vision of a Hindu state and the secular, inclusive principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The article examines how this decision formalizes an already existing de facto Hindu identity within the state apparatus and its potential impact on the impartiality and constitutional commitment of civil servants.

Source - IE

Introduction:

  • The article examines the Indian government’s recent decision to lift the ban on government servants joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), despite the majority of its members being RSS affiliates. This decision, while making a nominal difference, formalizes the idea of a Hindu state.
  • The implications of this move are far-reaching, touching upon the fundamental character of India’s public political universe and the potential conflict between the RSS’s ideology and the constitutional principles guiding India’s governance.

Historical Context and the Role of the RSS

  • The RSS’s disapproval of India’s post-1947 restructuring highlights a deeper ideological conflict. The Constitution was designed to create a nation comprising diverse sects, religions, and traditions, rejecting the notion of a single religious community as the nation’s foundation.
  • The RSS, however, promotes an exclusionary nationalism rooted in the idea of Hindu cultural and spiritual dominance. This conflict is not merely theoretical but has practical implications for the functioning of the state and its adherence to constitutional morality.

Evolution of Competing Political Paradigms

  • India’s political landscape has been shaped by two competing paradigms: the Golwalkar-Savarkar paradigm of Hindutva and the Gandhi-Nehru paradigm of democratic politics. Hindutva politics, influenced by leaders like Golwalkar and Savarkar, has emphasized majoritarianism, traditionalism, and the use of force to achieve nationalist goals.
  • In contrast, the Gandhi-Nehru paradigm sought a nuanced understanding of tradition and modernity, promoting inclusivity and democratic transformation. The RSS’s rise represents a challenge to the inclusive democratic framework envisioned by India’s founders.

Lifting the Ban: Nominal vs. Substantive Impact

  • While the formal ban on civil servants joining the RSS has been lifted, its practical impact is minimal. Civil servants with RSS sympathies have existed within the system, subtly influencing it.
  • The decision merely allows them to openly display their affiliation while in office, making the already visible de facto Hindu administration official.
  • This shift underscores the transformation of India’s bureaucratic identity over the past decade, aligning it more closely with RSS ideology.

Ideological Conflict: RSS  vs. Constitution

  • RSS Ideology: Advocates for a state rooted in Hindu cultural and spiritual heritage, envisioning a restructuring of national life to reflect these values.
  • Constitutional Ideology: Emphasizes a secular state, inclusivity, and equality for all communities, rejecting any form of exclusionary nationalism.

Influence of RSS on Governance

  • The formal allowance for civil servants to join the RSS underscores the emerging de jure Hindu administration. Even before this decision, India’s state apparatus had increasingly taken on a Hindu identity de facto. This change in policy highlights the underlying ideological shift in governance.
  • An organization like the RSS, which aims to organize a specific community, poses challenges for civil servants who are expected to serve the entire society impartially. This alignment could jeopardize the commitment of civil servants to uphold the Constitution, leading to potential biases in their public duties.

Evolution of Ideological Politics

India has witnessed the parallel evolution of two distinct political paradigms:

  • Hindutva Politics: Developed through the Golwalkar-Savarkar paradigm, it promotes majoritarianism, traditionalism, and a nationalism rooted in Hindu-ness.
  • Democratic Politics: Shaped by the Gandhi-Nehru paradigm, emphasizing inclusive democracy, modernity, and critical engagement with tradition.

Impact of Hindutva Politics

  • Hindutva politics has influenced the public sphere by fostering suspicion, anxiety, and animosity. The combination of Golwalkar’s traditionalism and Savarkar’s militant nationalism has resulted in a contemporary Hindutva that merges orthodoxy with modernism, advocating for force and exclusion as tools of nationalism.

Nationalism and Identity

  • The RSS’s vision of India promotes the foundational role of one religious community as the nation’s pillar, which stands in stark contrast to the Constitution’s inclusive nationalism. The Constitution is built on the idea of a nation comprising diverse sects, religions, and traditions.
  • The RSS’s exclusionary nationalism challenges this foundational principle, advocating for a homogenized national identity. This ideological divergence underscores the tension between the RSS’s aspirations and the constitutional mandate to ensure equality and inclusivity for all citizens.

Constitutional Morality vs. Exclusionary Politics

  • The Indian Constitution represents an effort to transform society democratically, incorporating the agency of people and ensuring inclusivity.
  • BR Ambedkar’s interventions ensured that the Constitution pushed towards a democratic transformation, countering both Gandhi’s romanticism about tradition and Nehru’s idealism about democracy.
  • Ambedkar’s contributions ensured that the Constitution aimed for inclusivity, striving to include all citizens irrespective of caste and creed.

Challenges for Indian Democracy

  • Democracy inherently accommodates non-democratic and exclusionary ideas. India’s democratic journey has been fraught with challenges from organizations and political movements that contradict constitutional morality. This tension is evident in the rise of Hindutva politics and the formal governmental power it has gained.

Conclusion: Towards a Democratic and Impartial Civil Services

  • The lifting of the ban on civil servants joining the RSS is symbolic of a deeper transformation within India’s state apparatus. It highlights the ongoing struggle between the inclusive democratic principles of the Constitution and the exclusionary ideology of Hindutva.
  • To preserve the integrity of India’s democratic framework, it is essential to reinvigorate and propagate the ideals of constitutional democracy, ensuring that the vision of an inclusive and pluralistic nation remains robust against ideological challenges.

Associated Article

https://universalinstitutions.com/a-civil-servant-needs-to-be-objective-as-well-as-empathetic-what-do-you-understand-by-objectivity-discuss-its-relationship-with-empathy/

Mains UPSC Question

GS 2

“Discuss the implications of the government’s decision to lift the ban on civil servants joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the context of India’s constitutional values and secular framework. How does this decision affect the balance between religious identity and state neutrality in the Indian administrative apparatus?” (250 words).

GS 4

“Examine the ethical dilemmas faced by civil servants when their personal ideological affiliations conflict with their professional duty to uphold the Constitution. In the context of the RSS and Indian bureaucracy, how should civil servants navigate the tension between personal beliefs and constitutional obligations to ensure impartial and inclusive governance?” (250 Words).