“Will foil BJP conspiracies like lateral entry,” says Rahul Gandhi after Centre cancels UPSC advertisement

New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI); Shortly after the Union Government decided to cancel the advertisement by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that had called for lateral entry jobs in mid-level posts in the Central Government, the Congress has claimed a victory for opposing the scheme.

In a post on X, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, “We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil conspiracies like BJP’s ‘lateral entry’ at any cost. I am saying it again – by breaking the 50% reservation limit, we will ensure social justice based on the caste census. Jai Hind.”

Another senior Congress MP, Manickam Tagore said, “2024 has given us two outcomes: a weak Prime Minister and a strong People’s Leader of the Opposition. In the end, it’s a victory for our Constitution. Jai Hind Jai Constitution”

Their reactions follow the Department of Personnel and Training Minister, Jitendra Singh writing to the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission today to cancel the advertisement related to several lateral entry posts at various levels in the central government as per directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of the Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc., have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Minister’s letter added.

“While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our Government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” the letter said.

“Further, the Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation. For the Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity,” the letter stated.

“It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in the government services. Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice,” it further added.

“Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on August 17, 2024. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment,” the letter said.

Earlier, several opposition leaders like Akhilesh Yadav, MK Stalin and Sitaram Yechury had opposed the government’s move of lateral entry.

Bihar Former Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, “These people do not want the SC/ST community to sit in the Secretariat, BJP and PM Modi want them to sit in the toilet. Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manji are just watching this… These people want to end reservations on the pretext of lateral entry…An attempt is being made to fill the vacancies with the people of the Sangh. We oppose it completely.”

Dissent from within the NDA was voiced when Union Minister Chirag Paswan objected to the notification.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw however clarified on Monday that these openings “do not cut into the roster of any civil services” or impact the reservation system for regular openings. He said these positions are temporary and created for only three years. He termed opposition criticism as “false and baseless”.

The UPSC had recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry. This decision ignited criticism from opposition parties, who claimed it undermined the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs, and STs.