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RSS shows Govindacharya the door

Sidelined Bharatiya Janata Party leader K N Govindacharya on Tuesday suffered yet another blow to his controversial political career when he was removed as Pracharak from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which had deputed him to the party.

"He (Govindacharya) is no more a Pracharak. He has been informed of this decision," RSS spokesman M G Vaidya told reporters New Delhi, but declined to elaborate on the reasons for this action.

RSS sources said he was removed for his anti-organisation activities.

Govindacharya, who held the post of general secretary of BJP, stepped down from office last year on the plea that he wanted a two-year sabbatical to study the impact of globalisation on Indian poverty.

Govindacharya's career graph began to take a sharp dip following his reported remark that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a 'mukhota (mask)', though he denied having said so.

The controversy surrounding his relationship with sports minister and firebrand BJP leader Uma Bharati saw his critics within the party gunning for him, which eventually saw his exit from the party post.

Known in party circles for his organisational capability and analytical bent of mind, Govindacharya represented the hardline view in the party that was not to the liking of some senior leaders who advocated a middle path.

A strong proponent of swadeshi, Govindacharya stood his ground and refused to compromise on his core ideology, which makes his exit from RSS all the more surprising.

Pracharaks are full time RSS volunteers who remain unmarried throughout their lives and serve the organisation and spread its ideology without any remuneration.

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