Rahul Gandhi vows to ’foil BJP conspiracies’ as govt rolls back UPSC lateral entry notification

UPSC lateral entry notification: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi celebrated UPSC rolling back the lateral entry job notification on Saturday, The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said ‘We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs’.

“We will foil conspiracies like BJP's 'lateral entry' at any cost.” Rahul Gandhi added.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday wrote to UPSC chairman asking them to withdraw the ‘lateral entry’ job notification. The move comes after a notification was published on Saturday to fill up 45 posts in various ministries of India government.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains dedicated to upholding the Constitution crafted by BR Ambedkar by enforcing reservation principles in UPSC lateral entry.

Vaishnaw, the Minister for Railways, emphasized that the Modi government is committed to applying reservation principles in lateral entry to promote social justice.

Attacking the previous UPA government in India, Vaishnaw said, “Finance Secretaries were recruited through lateral entry and the principle of reservation was not kept in mind".

"Dr Manmohan Singh ji, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia and before that Dr Vijay Kelkar ji also became Finance Secretary through lateral entry only. Did Congress take care of the Principle of Reservation at that time?" Vaishnav asked.

UPSC Lateral entry notification row

A controversy erupted on Saturday after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced a recruitment drive for 45 joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries through lateral entry, targeting specialists, including those from the private sector, for government roles.

The decision sparked backlash from opposition parties, who argued it jeopardized reservation rights for OBCs, SCs, and STs. In response, the Centre directed the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement to ensure that marginalized communities receive appropriate representation in government services.

How politicians reacted:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to X (formerly Twitter) to say, “We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil conspiracies like BJP's 'lateral entry' at any cost.”

“I am saying it again - by breaking the 50% reservation limit, we will ensure social justice on the basis of caste count.” he added.

Prakash Ambedkar, chief of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), criticized the BJP for its previous arbitrary actions during its earlier majority rule at the Centre. He noted that the party had no choice but to cancel the recent lateral entry recruitment after facing challenges.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal emphasized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to social justice. He acknowledged that lateral entry programs began during the Congress era but highlighted that the Prime Minister consistently supports reservations for marginalized communities.