Modi govt shelves lateral entry plan

New Delhi: The NDA government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday to withdraw its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy, in a stunning reversal following intense Opposition criticism and pressure from ally Chirag Paswan, who had also expressed reservations against the move.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that the "move should be aligned with social justice", Union Minister Jitender Singh wrote in a letter to the UPSC chief.

The UPSC last week issued the advertisement seeking "talented and motivated Indian nationals" for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. These positions included Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs.

"While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open," the minister's letter read. "The Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation." 

Lateral entry into the bureaucracy refers to recruitments from outside traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.

The move triggered a debate on lateral entry into bureaucracy, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi denouncing the process as an “attack on Dalits”. The ruling BJP countered by pointing out that the concept emerged under a Congress-led government.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, BJP’s Bihar ally, echoed the criticism. “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,” Paswan said.

Paswan on Tuesday welcomed the retraction of the move, saying it showed the government cared about people’s concerns. “Since the time the lateral entry issue came to my notice, I raised it in front of concerned authorities at different places. I presented the concerns of SC/ST and backward people regarding this issue to the Prime Minister. For the past two days, I have been in touch with the PM and his office. He held in-depth discussions with me and I submitted relevant documents to his office. In all kinds of government appointments, rules of reservation should be followed by the government,” Paswan said.

The lateral entry process was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018. This marked a departure from the traditional system where senior bureaucratic positions were almost exclusively filled by career civil servants.