Govt cancels lateral entry hiring, as Oppn ‘social justice’ attack hits a nerve

“It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in government services,” Singh wrote, adding: “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.”

Directing the UPSC to cancel the August 17 advertisement, Singh called “reservation in public employment a cornerstone of our social justice framework”.

He also said that the provision for reservation had not been made in the 45 appointments “since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts”.

The UPSC subsequently announced cancellation of the recruitment process, “as requested by the requisitioning authority”. Top DoPT sources said that there was no new timeline for re-advertising the posts.

Top sources in the DoPT said that the government will, however, explore ways to continue lateral entry posts with reservations brought in.

A top official in the government said: “The decision on lateral appointments was meant to ensure quality in governance. But the government decided to cancel it fearing the political impact an Opposition campaign around it could create. Not just the Opposition, the feedback from different quarters was also negative.”

The advertisement issued by the UPSC on August 17 sought applications from “talented and motivated Indian nationals for Lateral Recruitment” to posts of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries of the Union government.

Sources said the process was routine, and such a large number of posts were being filled in one go because recruitment for some had been delayed due to the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections.

The government’s first reaction to the Opposition’s, particularly Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s, criticism was that it was being hypocritical as Congress governments had in the past also seen lateral appointments. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal gave the examples of Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

What seems to have tilted the scales were the misgivings expressed by NDA allies JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party as well over the move. JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi called it “a matter of serious concern”, speaking to The Indian Express. LJP chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan also expressed his concern and said his party was “absolutely not in support of such a measure”. Another NDA ally, the TDP, however, supported lateral appointments.

Sources indicated that PM Narendra Modi ruled in favour of setting aside the recruitment process, taking into consideration the sentiments involved and in the interest of social justice.

But what weighed the heaviest, sources admitted, was the apprehension that the Opposition could revive its allegations against the Modi government of trying to tinker with reservations, which proved successful in the recent Lok Sabha polls. While election schedules for Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana, have already been announced, Assembly polls to Maharashtra and Jharkhand are due by the end of the year.

Rahul Gandhi termed the plan for lateral appointments an “attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis”, and an attempt to “destroy the Constitution”.

Pointing out that SC/STs and OBCs constitute a significant portion of the BJP’s support base in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana, a BJP leader said: “The Opposition would have intensified its campaign ahead of the Assembly polls, and the BJP can’t afford another setback.”

What the rollback has also underlined for the BJP is the need for better coordination with allies. While a section of BJP leaders claimed that the lateral entry plan was in the works from before the elections, others rued “the lack of coordination” among ministries in such decisions. “Everyone in the government should be conscious of the changed realities. It is a coalition government and no decision can be taken without proper consultation. No decision can be one-sided,” a BJP leader said.

Another leader argued that it was a learning process. “These are issues that come up in coalitions.”

Others said it was wrong to say that the BJP didn’t keep allies in the loop, be it the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which also saw a sharp divide among them, or lateral entries. Officials said there were “proper consultations”. “However, after there was adverse feedback from different quarters on lateral entry, it was conveyed to the top leadership,” said one leader.

I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was among those who had justified the lateral entry citing examples of Congress governments, on Tuesday hailed its cancellation, saying: “Today, PM Modi has reflected the commitment towards Babasaheb’s Constitution through a very important decision.”