New Delhi, Aug 19: BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday voiced concern over making any appointments in government posts without providing reservation, as the political row over lateral entry escalated, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleging it was an “attack” on the Dalits, OBCs and adivasis.
The Centre on its part accused the Congress of making misleading claims on the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment in bureaucracy being undertaken by it, and asserted that the move will not affect the recruitment of SC/STs in the all India services.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said lateral entry in bureaucracy has been happening since the 1970s during the Congress-led governments and former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia were prominent examples of such initiatives taken in the past.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his claim that the government was trying to bypass the reservation system, reminding the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha 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 Videos in Bikaner.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) last Saturday advertised for 45 posts — 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries — to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis. This scheme is aimed at appointing specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments. Paswan, who is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said he would raise the lateral entry issue with the Centre, and “there is no ifs and buts in this.”
