Will RSS be banned again?

The news that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) leader, Asimanand, has allegedly confessed before a magistrate that he and other Hindu leaders including Indresh Kumar, Sadhvi Pragya and Sunil Joshi were involved in Samjhouta Express and other bombings at Muslim religious places. The Congress has demanded strict action against the outfit.

The outfit has been banned twice in the past for various reasons. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a Hindu nationalist movement and was started in 1925 by Dr. K. B. Hedgewar. In 1948 it was banned following the assassination of Mohandas Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, a right-wing Hindu who was upset at Gandhi's appeasement of Muslims and who was an ex-member of RSS as well as the Congress party. It was cleared after an investigation and the ban continued for over a year. It was again banned during the emergency by Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The question is - Will the RSS be banned once again after Asimanand's confession? Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said, “Confession of Asimanand has exposed the terror face of RSS. Government must act and take firm action against such organizations.” The Congress has asked the government to consider if a ban on RSS could be effective following the recent revelations that some senior functionaries of the outfit and affiliates were involved in a series of blasts across the country.

The RSS alleges that confession of Asimanand is leaked intentionally. It shows mala fide intensions of the CBI and the Congress. It means that the RSS accepts that Asimanand has confessed and his confession is harmful to the organisation.

Now, it depends on the UPA government how seriously it considers Asimanand's confession and take action against the RSS. Or, will it bargain with the BJP to save itself from the various scams that took place recently.