"RSS Has Unimpeachable Credentials": Jagdeep Dhankhar In Rajya Sabha

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar today doubled down on his comment in the Rajya Sabha that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) "has unimpeachable credentials".

Mr Dhankhar's response came to a swipe by Samajwadi Party MP Lal Ji Suman over the National Testing Agency (NTA) controversy that the Centre's only yardstick to measure a person's standing is to see whether they are from the RSS.

Taking strong exception to the remark, Mr Dhankhar shot back, "I have said so on the floor of the house, we cannot go in a manner to make it political..."

"... The member was not transgressing rules; he was trampling upon the Constitution of India. For this reason, an organisation I have said is fully entitled, the RSS is an organisation which is a global think tank of the highest order... I will not allow the honourable member to single out an organisation which is doing national service," the Rajya Sabha Speaker said of the RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor.

"Under the Constitution, the RSS has all the rights to contribute for national growth and development. I hereby rule that the RSS is an organisation that has full constitutional rights to participate in the development journey of this nation," Mr Dhankhar said.

"This organisation bears unimpeachable credentials and comprises people who are deeply committed to serving the nation selflessly. To take exception that a member of this organisation cannot participate in the development journey of the nation is not only unconstitutional, but beyond the rules," the Speaker said.

 Mr Dhankhar said he has been increasingly finding that people are engaging in divisive activities. "This is a pernicious design, a sinister mechanism to run down the growth of the country. I have reflected on several occasions that attempts being made within the country and outside to taint, tarnish, and demean our institutions, constitutional institutions, is to be deprecated by all of us. If we fail to do it, our silence on this occasion will resonate in our ears for years to come," he said.