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Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry into top posts in central ministries amid backlash from the opposition as well as NDA allies. Jitendra Singh wrote a letter to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directions.
In his letter, Singh said there was a need for lateral entry to align with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provision of reservations.
Singh said that for PM Modi, reservations in public employment was "a cornerstone of our social justice framework aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity".
"Since these positions have been treated as specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments," the letter said.
The Congress, which had strongly criticised the ad as an "attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis", was swift to react. "A letter from a Union Minister working under a non-biological PM to a Constitutional authority WITHOUT a date. What pathetic governance this is," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the conspiracy of making appointments through the "backdoor of lateral entry" in UPSC by rejecting reservations had "succumbed to the unity of PDA". PDA refers to Pichde (backward classes or OBCs), Dalits, and Alpasankhyak (minorities). He also postponed the call for agitation over the issue from October 2.
Last week, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) sought applications for recruitment of 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries in the biggest tranche of lateral entry in bureaucracy. It was aimed at appointing specialists, including those from the private sector, to central government departments.
The UPSC's announcement created a political stir, with at least two NDA partners -- the Janata Dal (United) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) -- joining the opposition ranks to oppose the move.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was the first to pounce on the BJP government, criticising it for the lack of reservations in appointments made through lateral entry.
"Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. The BJP's distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans," Gandhi had tweeted.
BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan also voiced concern on appointments in government posts without reservation. "Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this," he said.
The Centre had mounted a strong defence, asserting that lateral entry in bureaucracy had been happening since the 1970s during Congress-led governments. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the move would not affect the recruitment of SC/STs in the services.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal reminded the Congress that Manmohan Singh was made the finance secretary in 1976 through the lateral entry route. "You started lateral entry. Prime Minister Modi made it methodical," he told PTI.
