'Congress's hypocrisy evident': BJP after Rahul Gandhi's lateral entry remark

There are 45 domain expert roles, including 10 positions at the rank of Joint Secretary and the remaining roles as Directors or Deputy Secretaries.

Following Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Centre’s lateral entry recruitment system in bureaucracy, the BJP accused the Congress of hypocrisy.

According to the BJP, it was the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government which developed the concept in the first place.

Earlier in a post on X, Gandhi alleged that the Centre was trying to recruit officers loyal to the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh through lateral entry, and not via the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

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"Reservation of SC, ST and OBC categories is being snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry for important posts in various ministries of the central government," Gandhi posted on X.

In response, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw accused Congress of hypocrisy.

“INC hypocrisy is evident on lateral entry matters. It was the UPA government which developed the concept of lateral entry. The second Admin Reforms Commission (ARC) was established in 2005 under the UPA government. Shri Veerappa Moily chaired it,” he said in a post on X.

According to Vaishnaw, the Centre has implemented this recommendation in a transparent and fair manner through the UPSC. "Recruitment will be done through UPSC in a transparent and fair manner. This reform will improve governance," he said on X.

On Saturday, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement inviting applications from “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for lateral recruitment to the positions of Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary across 24 Union government ministries.

According to the notification, there are 45 domain expert roles, including 10 positions at the rank of Joint Secretary and the remaining roles as Directors or Deputy Secretaries. These positions are available in various ministries, such as Finance, Electronics, Agriculture, Environment, and Renewable Energy.

The lateral entry scheme was formally introduced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, due to the need for domain experts to enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of India's administrative machinery.