• Source:JND
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UPSC Lateral Entry Row:  After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rebuffed the centre's lateral entry scheme to civil services, Union Minister and key BJP ally in the centre, Chirag Paswan on Monday matched the tone with the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha over the issue. Rahul Gandhi had termed the lateral entry scheme "an attack on Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis".

Voicing similar concerns, Chirag Paswan said that there should be no ifs and buts regarding the provisions for reservation in government jobs. The Lok Janshakti Party president said that he will raise the issue with the centre as he has a platform to do so.

"Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well... The information came up before me on Sunday and it is a matter of concern for me," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

What Is UPSC Lateral Entry Row

The apex body of civil services recruitment UPSC has issued a recruitment notice, asking for applications to fill 45 posts in central government ministries. Out of these 10 posts were of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries. No examination is required to fill these contractual jobs, unlike civil services examinations.

The concept of lateral entry remained marred in controversies since its inception as it bypasses the examination process, reservation norms and other qualifications necessary to reach positions of secretaries in the government of India.

What Congress Said

The Congress party tore through the scheme, calling it an attempt to snatch the jobs from the disadvantageous sections of the society and gave it to the cadres of RSS, BJP's ideological mentor.

"Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Bahujan Samaj Party also slammed the central government for recruiting through the scheme.

BJP Hits Back

Hitting back at Congress over the criticism, the Bharatiya Janata Party reminded it that the concept was developed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was among BJP leaders who charged back at the opposition over the issue.

"INC hypocrisy is evident on the lateral entry matter. It was the UPA government which developed the concept of lateral entry. The second Admin Reforms Commission (ARC) was established in 2005 under the UPA government," Vaishnaw said in a post on X.