The central government has banned lateral entry amid controversies. On Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote a letter to Union Public Service Commission Chairman Preeti Sudan asking her to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry so that the weaker sections can get their proper representation in government services. On August 17, the commission had issued a notification for direct recruitment of 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries in various departments through ‘lateral entry’. This is the second time in the last 15 days that the Narendra Modi government at the Center has backtracked. Earlier on August 8, the government had withdrawn the Waqf Board Amendment Bill from the Lok Sabha and sent it to the JPC. Now the government has banned lateral entry in view of the massive opposition.
Opposition parties’ rift
Many opposition parties including Congress had strongly criticized the decision of the Central Government on lateral entry and opposed it. They alleged that by making direct recruitment to higher posts through lateral entry, the government is violating the reservation rights of Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). When the opposition parties surrounded the Central Government on this issue, the Union Law Minister argued that it started during the rule of Congress and from Pandit Nehru to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi’s government, direct appointments have been made through this.
There is also a split in the NDA
It is not that only the opposition parties have criticized this scheme of the central government and expressed their opposition. A day earlier, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) President Chirag Paswan also criticized any move to appoint people to government posts through ‘lateral entry’ and said that he would raise this issue before the Center. Chirag had said, “There should be a provision for reservation in any government appointment. There is no ifs and buts in this. There is no reservation in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government posts as well… then it will be a matter of concern.”
JDU also hinted at bringing back lateral entry
Apart from Chirag, another ally from Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU, also opposed the lateral entry. However, senior JDU leader KC Tyagi said in a controlled manner, “They will misuse the advertisement of lateral entry, this will make Rahul Gandhi the champion of the backward classes.” KC Tyagi said that the government is giving an issue to the opposition through such decisions, so it should be withdrawn.
Let us tell you that the appointment of various experts (including experts from the private sector) in government departments is called ‘lateral entry’. Through ‘lateral entry’, UPSC directly appoints candidates to those posts on which experienced officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) are posted. Under this system, experts from different professions of the private sector are directly appointed to the posts of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in various ministries and departments.
In his letter, Union Minister of State for Personnel Singh said that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reservation in public employment is “the cornerstone of our social justice framework aimed at redressing historical injustice and promoting inclusiveness.” “Since these posts have been designated as single-cadre posts, being considered special, there is no provision for reservation in these appointments. Keeping in view the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ensuring social justice, this move needs to be reviewed and rectified,” Singh said. Further, the Prime Minister strongly believes that the process of ‘lateral entry’ must be aligned with the principles of equality and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly the provisions on reservation, he said. (With Bhasha inputs)
