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The Congress party on Monday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of 'snatching reservtion' of Bahujan citizens claiming that the Centre cancelled several jobs and referring to the lateral entry into high rank job advertisement row, they said, the government is handing out posts meant for SCs, STs, OBCs, and EWS to people of the RSS.
Meanwhile, government sources have indicated that the idea of lateral entry into civil services was initially introduced during the Congress-led UPA government in 2005.
What Is Lateral Entry?
Lateral entry into bureaucracy involves recruiting individuals from outside traditional government service cadres, like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions within government departments.
It represents a significant shift from the conventional system, where career civil servants predominantly occupied senior bureaucratic roles.
Lateral entrants are usually hired on contracts lasting three to five years, with possibilities for extension based on their performance and government needs. This strategy aims to infuse the bureaucracy with fresh expertise to tackle complex governance and policy challenges.
This approach was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018.
But it was during the Congress-led UPA government in the mid-2000s that lateral entry was first introduced according to government sources, reported PTI.
In 2005, the UPA set up the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), chaired by Veerappa Moily, to recommend changes to the Indian administrative system.
Congress Criticises Centre's Lateral Entry Appointments
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that while his party-led government had brought in lateral entry to appoint select specialists and experts in some sector-specific posts as per their utility, the Modi government has made provision for it to "snatch the rights" of Dalits, tribals and backward classes.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "Why is the provision of lateral entry by the Modi government an attack on the Constitution? Instead of filling jobs in government departments, the BJP has eliminated 5.1 lakh posts in the last 10 years by selling the share of Government of India in PSUs alone."
Casual and contractual recruitment has increased by 91 per cent, he claimed. Posts for SCs, STs, and OBCs decreased by 1.3 lakh by 2022-23, he alleged.
In defence of this approach being introduced during the UPA government, Kharge explained, "We had brought lateral entry to appoint select specialists and experts in some sector-specific posts as per their utility."
He further said, "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, 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.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha 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 on Sunday, Gandhi had termed the government's move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry an "anti-national step", alleging that the reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs is being "openly snatched away" by such an action.
"Reservation of SC, ST and OBC classes is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on important posts in various ministries of the central government," Gandhi had said.
The INDIA bloc will strongly oppose this "anti-national step" that hurts both the administrative structure and social justice, Gandhi had said.
"Privatisation of the IAS is Modi's guarantee for ending reservation," he had said.
How Has The Centre Defended Criticism?
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to Congress' criticism of the lateral entry system in senior bureaucracy called it "hypocrisy".
He also asserted that the BJP-led NDA government has created a transparent method to implement the concept developed by the UPA dispensation.
The Congress has strongly criticised the government after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Saturday issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry -- referred to as the appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments.
