Union Minister Chirag Paswan. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The controversy over the Union government advertising to fill 45 posts at joint secretary and other levels in the government via lateral entries on a contract basis became bigger on Monday (August 19, 2024) with NDA ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan opposing the move.
“Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well… The information came up before me on Sunday and it is a matter of concern for me,” said Mr. Paswan.
Also read | Centre’s plan for lateral recruitment in 45 posts a cruel joke on reservation rules, says Tejashwi Yadav
Mr. Paswan added that as a member of the government, he “has the platform to raise the issue and he would”, declaring that his party was incontrovertibly opposed to lateral entry. His Cabinet colleague and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, said that while he does not see any “grand design” in this move snatching away reservations for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, “if there is any talk of taking away reservations, then I am in the Cabinet and we can talk to them [BJP ministers] in the Cabinet too…”.
The Union Public Service Commission last Saturday 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. It is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, an official said.
Opposition parties slammed the move, claiming it would snatch reservations from SCs, STs and OBCs. The BJP hit back, saying the NDA government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led UPA.
While the Opposition and the BJP have been going head-to-head on the issue, the complication that has arisen with allies of the government openly opposing the move is significant. During the recently concluded Lok Sabha session, the allies pushed for the referring of the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee following which, it was resolved that NDA constituents will be meeting at least once a month to resolve contentious issues.
