Bhopal: The Kamal Nath government’s late-night decision to withdraw the security cover for the RSS’ Bhopal office in Madhya Pradesh days before Lok Sabha elections commence has met strong opposition from unanticipated quarters.
Hours after the MP government withdrew security cover from RSS Bhopal office, former chief minister and Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh rebuked the decision and demanded “immediate” revocation of the order.
Taking to Twitter, Singh, who is an old critic of the RSS ideology, said, “Withdrawing security cover for RSS Bhopal office is not right. I request Chief Minister Kamal Nath to restore the security with immediate effect.”
भोपाल राष्ट्रीय स्वयं सेवक संघ कार्यालय से सुरक्षा हटाना बिल्कुल उचित नहीं है मैं मुख्य मंत्री कमल नाथ जी से अनुरोध करता हूँ कि तत्काल पुन: पर्याप्त सुरक्षा देने के आदेश दें।
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) April 2, 2019
Further, enraged by the move, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargav flayed the Congress government on Twitter. He said, “Withdrawing security cover is a condemnable step of the Kamal Nath government. MP Congress, perhaps, has plotted an attack. If any RSS volunteer suffers a scratch, we will offer a befitting reply.”
भोपाल स्थित राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ के कार्यालय से सुरक्षा का हटाया जाना @OfficeOfKNath का बेहद ही निंदनीय कदम है। @INCMP द्वारा शायद फिर किसी हमले की योजना बनाई गई है। अगर किसी स्वयंसेवक को खरोंच भी आई तो कांग्रेस सरकार की ईंट से ईंट बजा दी जाएगी। @BJP4India @BJP4MP
— Chowkidar Gopal Bhargava (Leader of Opposition) (@bhargav_gopal) April 1, 2019
Samidha, the RSS office for MP and Chhattisgarh, is based at E-2 Arera Colony in Bhopal. When the former RSS chief KC Sudarshan decided to reside at the office permanently in 2009, it was renovated and the then BJP government extended security cover through SAF personnel. The security cover wasn’t withdrawn even after Sudarshan’s demise in September 2012.
RSS’ regional publicity in-charge Narendra Jain, however, claimed that the RSS had neither sought any security nor does it have any information regarding its withdrawal. “We have no objection to the removal of security cover,” said Jain.
Even though the state government did not issue an official statement on the matter, senior police officials claimed that in the wake of election, deployment of security forces is required at booths, hence, additional forces are being withdrawn from places where the official sanction wasn’t taken.