Centre’s U-Turn On Lateral Entry Amid Pressure From Ally, Opposition

The government today asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy, pulling a 180 amid massive opposition criticism of the move. Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that the “move should be aligned with social justice”, Union Minister Jitender Singh wrote in a letter to the UPSC chief.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan, whose LJP (Ram Vilas) party is a BJP ally, welcomed the move. Thanking the Prime Minister, he said the move shows that the government listens to public concerns.

The UPSC last week issued the advertisement seeking “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. These positions included Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs. 

“While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” the minister’s letter read. “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.”

Lateral entry into bureaucracy refers to the recruitment of individuals from outside the traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.

The move triggered a debate on lateral entry into bureaucracy, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi denouncing the process as an “attack on Dalits”. The ruling BJP countered by pointing out that the concept emerged under a Congress-led government. 

READ | What Is Lateral Entry In Bureaucracy That Triggered BJP vs Congress Debate

The lateral entry process was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, with the first set of vacancies announced in 2018. This marked a departure from the traditional system where senior bureaucratic positions were almost exclusively filled by career civil servants.

According to government sources, the idea was first proposed during the UPA government, led by Congress, in the mid-2000s. In 2005, the UPA established the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) under the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily. The Commission was tasked with recommending reforms to the Indian administrative system.

In his letter, Jitendra Singh pointed out that while the concept of lateral entry was initially endorsed by the Moily panel and later supported by the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013, its implementation has historically lacked transparency and fairness.

“For PM Modi, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity,” Mr Singh’s letter read. “It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalised communities get their rightful representation in the government services,” he said.

Mr Singh cited several high-profile cases where lateral entrants were appointed to key positions without following proper reservation protocols, including the leadership of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and even Secretary-level posts in various ministries during earlier administrations.

“Since these positions have been treated as specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice. Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment,” the letter read.

Opposition leaders including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of using lateral entry as a backdoor to recruit officers loyal to the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Gandhi alleged that lateral entry is being used to sidestep the UPSC and deny reservations to candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

In response, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted that the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), chaired by Congress leader Veerappa Moily, recommended lateral recruitment to fill gaps in roles requiring specialised knowledge.