Two days after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued advertisements for lateral recruitment into government service for 45 posts of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary levels, the government on Tuesday moved to cancel these planned recruitments, citing lack of quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Later in the day, the UPSC issued a notification cancelling the recruitments as advertised, citing a request by “the requisitioning authority”.
Minister for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh wrote to the Chairperson of the UPSC Priti Sudan on Tuesday, asking that the advertisements be withdrawn and the plans for lateral recruitment cancelled, with norms for recruitment from outside the government to be reviewed keeping equity and social justice in mind.
This follows not only protests by the Opposition against the move, but National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) declaring that entry into government service without quotas set aside for SCs and STs was “unacceptable”.
The text of Dr. Singh’s letter, while stating that harvesting talent from outside the government had been a recommendation of the second Administrative Reforms Commission, set up under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2005, and the Sixth Pay Commission (2013), added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, such entries into government have to be aligned with social justice.
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The letter also went on to state that under the Modi government, what had been an ad hoc process of lateral entry in the past was being made transparent, a departure from the previous UPA government, Dr. Singh wrote.
“Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI [Unique Identification Authority of India] etc have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that members of the infamous National Advisory Council (NAC) used to run a super bureaucracy that used to control the Prime Minister’s Office,” Dr. Singh said.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 reservations. For the Hon’ble Prime Minister, reservation in employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity,” the text of the letter said.
The letter acknowledges that provisions for reservations in the appointments were not present in the advertisements for the lateral recruitments, and hence these needed to be reviewed and reformed, and the current advertisements cancelled.
The government walking back from the lateral recruitment process is not only a reflection of the backlash from the Opposition and the NDA’s allies, but also reflects the lessons that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have gleaned from the Opposition’s campaign during the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. The Opposition’s campaign had alleged, with some help from statements from BJP MPs themselves, that the BJP wanted a brute majority with “char sau paar “ (over 400 seats), in order to affect fundamental changes in the Indian Constitution, especially with regard to reservations in government jobs for SCs and STs. This campaign spread like wildfire, and BJP leaders in internal assessments have acknowledged that the campaign cost them significantly, especially in some States, including Uttar Pradesh. The quick turnaround in the government’s viewpoint could therefore be a reflection on nipping any other such campaign in the bud before it gained strength and made the loss of crucial support from SC/ST communities more permanent.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who had a day back defended the advertisement for lateral entries, said that the instructions from the DoPT to cancel the advertisements showed that “on the point of reservations, the Prime Minister is always seen standing with the poor. In this decision, the Prime Minister is seen standing with SCs/STs and OBCs (Other Backward Classes)”.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in Tuesday’s decision by the government to review the process of lateral entry, and apply the principle of reservation, there was “a reflection of Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar”.
Published - August 20, 2024 01:53 pm IST
