Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has protested against the recent moves by the Centre to induct more specialists into top government jobs using the lateral route, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of subverting the Constitution by side-stepping the UPSC route. Addressing the Lok Sabha as the leader of the opposition, Gandhi accused the Modi-led government at the center of appointing those who are affiliated with the RSS.
On X, in a post, Gandhi said that the new policy would lead to dilution of the reservations for SC, ST, and OBC categories since lateral entrants would be given important jobs in various ministries. He pointed out that there is a danger that, under the plan, such underprivileged groups will be even more marginalized, decreasing their chances of worthy youth who want to prepare for civil service exams to qualify for rightful opportunities.
This statement comes after the government applied stiff measures to hire 45 specialists at the joint secretary, director, or deputy secretary level in central ministries. Described as an effort to bring in new talent to government service, these posts, which used to be manned by officers of the IAS, IPS, and other Group A services, are now being offered on a contractual basis.
It may be recalled that Gandhi had cautioned in the past that the lateral entry system is a ‘robbery of the rights of talented youth’ and goes against one of the foundational tenets of social justice. He pointed to the recent appointment of Madhabi Puri Buch as the chairperson of SEBI; she is the first person from the private sector to hold this post, and she, too, has conflict of interest issues.
The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, described it as a ‘deliberate attempt’ to alienate SC, ST, and OBC from government positions that matter. In his own post on X, Kharge further alleged that the BJP had unleashed a double assault on the reservation by pointing out that the new pattern of recruitment will ensure that the deprived sections are dumped in crucial posts.
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have also protested against the government’s move, terming it an attempt to facilitate the entry of ideological partners in crucial jobs through a quirk. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has also threatened to lead a ‘bandh’-like protest from October 2 regarding this problem.
