Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 20: In a stunning reversal following intense opposition criticism and pressure from some of its own NDA allies, the Centre on Tuesday wrote to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) seeking cancellation of its latest advertisement for lateral entry into 45 government positions citing lack of quotas for Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Later in the day, the UPSC issued a notification cancelling the recruitments as advertised, citing a request by “the requisitioning authority.”
Minister for the Department of Personnel and Training, Dr Jitendra Singh wrote to the chairperson of the UPSC, Priti Sudan on Tuesday asking that the advertisements be withdrawn and plans for recruitment cancelled, with norms for recruitment from outside the government reviewed keeping equity and social justice in mind. The letter said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for a review of the scheme to align it with the principles of reservation- – a demand that has also been voiced by opposition parties and two key NDA allies, the LJP and the JDU.
“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.”
Currently, the lateral entry scheme does not adhere to the reservation formula, as the Centre argues that these are “single-cadre posts” treated as specialised jobs. “This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in light of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice,” stated the letter from Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Minister Jitendra Singh.
The Centre’s letter indicates that the PM has taken direct cognisance of the uproar over the lateral entry issue. “For the PM, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity. It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalised communities get their rightful; representation in the government services,” the letter stated.
On August 17, the UPSC advertised 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 aims to appoint specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments. The Congress party and other opposition groups have criticised the Modi government since the advertisement’s release, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning why SCs, STs, and OBCs were not granted reservations.
The pressure on the government increased after LJP’s Chirag Paswan and JDU’s KC Tyagi on Monday stated that the lateral entry scheme without reservation was unacceptable to them. Both are key BJP allies.
Earlier, the government had to refer the Waqf Amendment Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee after both the LJP and the TDP, along with the opposition, demanded it following a vociferous protest in Parliament. Additionally, the government recently had to withdraw the draft broadcasting bill, which faced criticism for its tough provisions against social media influencers. The opposition is using these instances to argue that the current NDA government is “weak” and dependent on its allies for survival.
The text of Dr Singh’s letter, stating that harvesting talent from outside the government had been a recommendation of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) set up under the Congress-led UPA government in 2005 and the Sixth Pay Commission (2013), added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi such entries into government have to be aligned with social justice.
The letter also goes on to say that under the Modi government, what had been an ad-hoc process of lateral entry in the past was being made transparent, a departure from the previous UPA government. “Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIADI etc have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that members of the infamous National Advisory Council (NAC) used to run a super bureaucracy that used to control the Prime Minister’s Office,” wrote Dr Singh.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 reservations. For the Hon’ble Prime Minister, reservation in employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity,” said the text of the letter.
The government walking back from the lateral recruitment process is not just because of opposition backlash but also the lessons the BJP seems to have learnt from the opposition campaign during the Lok Sabha elections that the ruling party was seeking brute majority with over 400 seats only to affect fundamental changes in the Indian constitution, especially with regard to reservations in government jobs for Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
This campaign spread like wildfire, and BJP leaders in internal assessments have acknowledged that the campaign cost them significantly especially in States like Uttar Pradesh. The quick turn-around in the government’s view point was therefore a reflection on nipping any other such campaign gaining strength, and making the loss of crucial support from the SC/ST community a more permanent thing.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who had a day back defended the advertisements for lateral entries, said the instructions from DoPT to cancel the advertisements showed that “on the point of reservations, the Prime Minister is always seen standing with the poor. In this decision, the Prime Minister is seen standing with SCs/STs and OBCs.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who had on Monday criticised the Congress for opposing lateral entry, changed his stand and claimed that today’s decision by the government to review the process of lateral entry and apply the principle of reservation was “a reflection of Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar.”