New Delhi: Opposition parties vehemently criticized the central governments decision to recruit 45 senior-level officers through lateral entry on Saturday, accusing it of systematically undermining the reservation system. They allege that this move is a deliberate strategy to exclude Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) from key government positions.Kharge condemns government actionsCongress President Mallikarjun Kharge voiced his strong disapproval on social media platform X, stating, BJP, which has torn apart the Constitution, has launched a double attack on reservation! Today, the Modi government has issued an advertisement to fill at least 45 posts of Joint Secretary, Directors, and Deputy Secretary at the Centre through Lateral Entry. Is there a reservation for SC, ST, OBC, and EWS in this As part of a well-planned conspiracy, the BJP is deliberately making such recruitments to exclude SC, ST, and OBC categories from the reservation system.Kharge also highlighted another issue, The reservation scam in the appointment of 69,000 assistant teachers in UP has now been exposed by the High Court decision. In March 2024, Rahul Gandhi raised the voice of the deprived candidates by writing a letter to the Prime Minister about the reservation scam affecting Dalit and backward classes. The Yogi government filled these posts unjustly, snatching away the constitutional right of reservation from Dalit and backward candidates.Tejashwi Yadav labels the move a Dirty JokeRashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav also criticized the governments move, calling it a “dirty joke.” Sharing the advertisement photo, he wrote, This advertisement is a small example of how the Modi government at the Centre is playing a dirty joke and messing with the Constitution written by Baba Saheb and the reservation system.Yadav elaborated, UPSC has advertised 45 Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Director level jobs directly through lateral entry without any provision for reservation. If UPSC had appointed 45 IAS officers through the civil service examination, it would have had to provide reservation to SC/ST and OBC categories, i.e., out of 45, 22-23 candidates would have been selected from Dalit, backward, and tribal classes.Growing concerns over reservation policiesThe oppositions backlash highlights growing concerns over the governments commitment to reservation policies. The lateral entry recruitment has sparked fears that marginalized communities may be systematically sidelined from crucial government roles. This controversy comes at a time when the governments policies and their impacts on social justice are under intense scrutiny.
