BJP Ally Chirag Paswan Slams Lateral Entry Scheme, Vows to Raise Issue with Government

BJP Ally Chirag Paswan Slams Lateral Entry Scheme, Vows to Raise Issue with Government

The latest move of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government to induct experts and specialists into the bureaucracy has raised many eyebrows, with even the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), one of the key allies of the BJP, objecting. LJP leader Chirag Paswan, who was strongly critical of the lateral entry policy of the Union Public Service Commission, termed the policy as highly flawed, as it did not even follow the basic tenet: the reservation system. He said the policy will deprive backward classes from competing in the top echelons of government jobs.

Paswan voiced his party’s concerns about the inclusion of outside experts in government departments and ministries without considering the reservation system. He emphasized that all government recruitment processes should uphold the reservation system, especially since such provisions do not exist in the private sector.

My party is of the firm opinion that reservation must be followed in every appointment of the government,” added Paswan. “Lateral entry, as the matter stands, doesn’t take reservations into account, and that is very preoccupying on my part in spite of being in the government, on behalf of my party, I can’t agree with the policy.”

He further reassured that the matter would certainly be taken up by the LJP and brought to the notice of the Central government by appropriate channels.

The LJP has also taken a similar line as the opposition and described the lateral entry scheme as an attempt by the BJP-led government to attack the existing facilities and benefits available to the backward classes in government appointments. The Congress and other parties in the bloc called INDIA have criticized the lateral entry as an “onslaught on social justice” and as a device to accommodate RSS colleagues in top positions. Rahul Gandhi has gone to the extent of describing it as the “Privatization of IAS”.

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The current controversy has erupted in the backdrop of a UPSC notification, issued on Saturday, to fill 45 senior-level positions in different ministries at the level of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary with an objective of lateral entry of professionals which could bring in critical specialized knowledge and technical acumen that could make the process of policy formulation far more effective. End.