Lateral Entry U-Turn Triggers War of Words as Oppn Claims ‘Moral Victory’, Govt Hails Social Justice Push

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday asked the head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directions, triggering a political war of words.

In a letter, Singh called for the need for lateral entry to align with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provision of reservations.

“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 read. “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.”

Lateral entry into bureaucracy refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.

Recently, the UPSC had issued an advertisement seeking “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. These positions include Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs.

However, the government came under massive criticism over the move, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning why SCs, STs and OBCs were not being given reservation.

JUBILANT OPPN

Commenting on the government’s U-turn, the Congress claimed that the withdrawal was due to the campaign by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc parties, and said this shows that only the power of the Constitution can defeat the “arrogance of a dictatorial regime”.

Kharge said: “Long live the Constitution! The Congress party’s fight for social justice for our Dalits, tribals, backward and weaker sections has foiled the BJP’s plans to snatch away reservation.”

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said: “We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil the BJP’s conspiracies like that of ‘lateral entry’ at any cost. I am saying it again — by removing the 50% reservation cap, we will ensure social justice on the basis of caste census.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the rollback was proof that the BJP’s conspiracies were no longer successful. The party has also decided to call off its October 2 agitation over the issue, calling the rollback a “big victory”.

GOVT REACTS

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while reacting to the Opposition’s barbs, said the rollback decision showed PM Modi’s commitment to social justice. “Hon’ble PM @narendramodi Ji has always firmly believed in social justice. His programmes have advanced welfare of the weakest sections of our society. The decision to align lateral entry with principles of reservation shows PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s commitment to social justice,” he said on X.

His colleague Arjun Ram Meghwal said lateral entry was earlier an unorganised setup. “On the issue of reservation, PM Modi stands steadfast with the poor of the country. We praise his decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, government sources told News18 that the prime minister directly intervened in the issue as he was keen on revising the lacunae of the scheme not having reservations. The PM’s effort is to ensure social justice not just by making lateral entry an institutionalised process but also by bringing in reservations, they added.

Sources said the government had already changed the ad hoc and opaque system followed under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime to bring in institutionalised lateral entry in 2018. “Before the Modi government, lateral entries in the government happened in an opaque manner, without any transparency, and were done as per the whims and fancies of a few selected leaders close to the family or from the family. This government changed this,” a government source said.