Union Minister Chirag Paswan has voiced strong opposition to the UPSC’s lateral recruitment scheme, criticising it for failing to incorporate reservations in its appointments.
Paswan, whose party holds five seats in Parliament, expressed his dissatisfaction with the advertisement of these posts, emphasising that reservations were not considered.
Paswan stated that while the government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, generally supports reservations, his party disagrees with the direct recruitment approach for certain positions which overlooks these provisions. He underlined his party's commitment to ensuring that reservation policies are adhered to in government appointments.
He reaffirmed his party’s stance, saying that any government job should respect the reservation norms set for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Paswan also indicated that his party will continue to advocate for this principle, stressing that any deviation from these practices will prompt appropriate governmental responses.
In support of his position, Paswan referenced Prime Minister Modi’s recent statements on reservations, noting that Modi has reiterated the commitment to the reservation provisions established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, especially following a Supreme Court decision allowing states to reclassify SCs and STs.
Paswan’s comments align with opposition criticisms of the lateral entry scheme, which they argue undermines reservation policies.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised the scheme as discriminatory against Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis. Gandhi took to social media, accusing the scheme of being an attack on these communities and alleging that it represents an attempt to dismantle the constitutional guarantees of reservation.
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