BJP flays CM's statement on RSS

Shimla, Aug 17 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh BJP today flayed Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's statement on terminating the services of RSS workers, saying he was acting like a ''despot''.

''RSS is a nationalist organisation, which was proud of its members and were always in the fore front to help the people during natural calamities", '' party's spokesman Randhir Sharma, said in a release here.

He said the RSS was committed to the development and the progress of the state and it was a matter of "pride" for people to associate themselves with the organisaton.

Mr Sharma was reacting to the Chief Minister's reported statement to a Hindi daily wherein he had said state government employees having allegiance to RSS would be terminated from service.

Flaying the Chief Minister's statement on the issue, Mr Sharma said this was a clear case of the his ''dictatorial attitude''.

He said the Indian Constitution guaranteed every person the right to choose any faith and profess any ideology, adding that Mr Singh was trying to "terrorise" the employees.

In a separate release, party's state president Suresh Bhardwaj said the chief minister had lauded the organisation's functioning during the days when he was an MP.

Even the Supreme Court has accepted RSS as a nationalist organisation, he added.

UNI AS JN YA BST2004