Congress, BJP spar over issue of lateral entry, Samajwadi Party warns of agitation

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The opposition parties on August 18 slammed the Centre's move to hire public servants through lateral entry, claiming that it will snatch reservations from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back stating that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also alleged that the move was a "conspiracy" by BJP to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door.

"Privatisation of IAS (Indian Administrative Service) is (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's assurance for ending reservation," leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged, adding the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will strongly oppose this "anti-national step".

"Reservation of SC, ST and OBC is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on important posts in various ministries of the central government," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. Gandhi further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) instead of the Union Public Service Commission".

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav warned of an agitation over the issue from October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Countering the charges made by the Opposition, BJP cited office memorandums, including the one issued by the Union Home Ministry in 2020, that emphasised the need for strict adherence to the reservation guidelines in lateral entries, and said Gandhi must "stop lying".

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on August 17 advertised 45 posts - 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries - to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contractual basis. It is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, an official said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that "as part of a well-planned conspiracy, BJP is deliberately making such recruitments in jobs so that the members from SC, ST, OBC communities can be kept away from reservation".

BSP chief Mayawati termed the decision as "illegal and unconstitutional" and said employees working on lower posts would be deprived of the benefit of promotion.

However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Congress' criticism of the lateral entry system in senior bureaucracy shows its "hypocrisy"

In a post on X, Vaishnaw said the reform measure implemented by the NDA government will improve governance. "INC (Indian National Congress) hypocrisy is evident on lateral entry matter. It was the UPA government which developed the concept of lateral entry," he said. The minister added that the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily and established in 2005 by then Congress-led UPA government "recommended recruitment of experts to fill the gaps in roles that require specialised knowledge". The minister said the NDA government has created a transparent method to implement the recommendation made by ARC.

Meanwhile, in a post on X, BJP Information Technology (IT) department head Amit Malviya said Gandhi should "stop lying" as the truth is that such lateral recruitments used to be done without any following process during the UPA regime.

"By eliminating that ad-hocism, the government of India has now ensured that lateral entries are made on the basis of established guidelines so that there is no impact on the quota and reservation system," he asserted.

Malviya cited the official memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in 2016 which stipulated that lateral recruitments must follow the reservation roster and maintain the prescribed ratio for SC, ST, OBC and persons with disability candidates. He referred to another DoPT memorandum issued in 2019 which reiterated that lateral entries should be according to the reservation policy and roster maintenance. The BJP leader also cited an office memorandum issued by the Union home ministry in 2020 that emphasised the need for strict adherence to the reservation guidelines in lateral entries.

"Due to the above provisions, all the legal provisions and reservation rules which apply to the officers selected through any other selection process of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) will also be applicable on lateral entries," he said. "How many times does one have to explain the same thing to 'balak buddhi'," Malviya said, taking a swipe at the Congress leader.

The lateral entry scheme was formally introduced during Modi's tenure, driven by the recognition of the need for domain experts to enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of India's administrative machinery, government sources said.

In 2018, the government took a significant step by announcing vacancies for senior positions such as joint secretaries and directors, marking the first time that professionals from both the private and public sectors were invited to apply for these high-level roles, they said.

The selection process was rigorous, emphasising candidates' qualifications, experience and suitability for these strategic positions, they added.

This initiative was not without precedent; it was deeply influenced by the recommendations of the Second ARC, which had earlier laid the conceptual groundwork for lateral entry, according to the sources.

(With PTI inputs)