Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government's move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry was an "attack" on Dalits, OBCs and adivasis.
Published Aug 20, 2024 | 12:41 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 20, 2024 | 12:41 PM
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday, 20 August, took to X to criticise the Union government’s move to fill 45 UPSC posts through lateral entry.
Calling it a direct assault on social justice, Stalin demanded the Union government to “Halt this practice, prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs & SC/STs, and ensure fair and equitable promotions.”
He further said the lateral entry is “Depriving the meritorious SC, ST, OBC and minority officers of their deserved opportunities at the top. ”
The DMK leader also called for the complete abolition of the creamy layer. He further wrote, “In the meantime, the stagnant ceiling for the creamy layer must be raised without any further delay.”
Reiterating the need for case census, Stalin said, “Caste census is imperative to guarantee that educational and job opportunities are justly distributed to all backward and oppressed sections of our society, who have been historically denied their rightful share.”
👇🏾 To uphold #SocialJustice, safeguard #Reservation and ensure its rightful implementation, the following steps must be taken immediately:
🎯 #LateralEntry is a direct assault on #SocialJustice, depriving the meritorious SC, ST, OBC and minority officers of their deserved…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 20, 2024
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on 17 August, advertised 45 posts— 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries —to be filled through the lateral entry mode on contract basis. It is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, an official said.
“The government of India has submitted the requisitions for lateral recruitment of joint secretary and director/deputy secretary level officers. Accordingly, online applications are invited from talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation building to join the government at the level of joint secretary or director/deputy secretary…,” reads the advertisement.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government’s move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry was an “attack” on Dalits, OBCs and adivasis. He accused the BJP of seeking to snatch reservations from ‘bahujans’.
“Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and adivasis,” Gandhi said on X.
“The BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from bahujans,” the former Congress chief said.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said the party-led government had previously brought lateral entry to appoint select specialists and experts in some sector-specific posts as per their utility. “But the Modi government has made provision of lateral entry not to appoint experts in the government but to snatch the rights of Dalits, tribals and backward classes.”
“SC, ST, OBC, and EWS posts will now be given to people of the RSS. This is BJP’s ‘Chakravyuh’ to change the Constitution by snatching reservation,” the Congress president alleged.
In a BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday voiced concern over making any appointments in government posts without providing reservation.
Paswan, who is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said he would raise the lateral entry issue with the Centre, and “there is no ifs and buts in this.”
“Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There is no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well… The information came up before me on Sunday and it is a matter of concern for me,” he told PTI.
Paswan said that as a member of the government he has the platform to raise the issue and he would.
The Union minister also said that as far as his party is concerned, it is absolutely not in support of such a measure.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with PTI inputs)
