Taking to X, Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi is attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’ (RSS) instead of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).By recruiting for important positions in various central government ministries through lateral entry, the reservation for SC, ST, and OBC categories is being openly undermined.”
Gandhi pointed out that marginalized communities are already underrepresented in top bureaucratic positions, and argued that the new policy will further deny them the opportunities they deserve.
“I have always said that there is no representation of the underprivileged in the top bureaucracy and other senior positions in the country. Instead of improving this representation, lateral entry is pushing them further away from these top positions,” he said.
“This is a direct assault on the rights of talented youth preparing for the UPSC and a blow to the concept of social justice and reservation for the underprivileged,” he added.
Gandhi warned that the lateral entry system represents a “robbery of the rights of talented youth” and an attack on the very concept of social justice.
“The glaring example of what corporate representatives might do in decisive government positions is SEBI, where for the first time, a person from the private sector was appointed as the Chairperson,” he said.
“This anti-national step, which harms both the administrative structure and social justice, will be strongly opposed by INDIA bloc. ‘Privatization of IAS’ is Modi’s ‘guarantee’ to end reservation. ” he added.
This follows the central government’s appointment of 45 specialists to key positions, such as joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries, across various central ministries.
Traditionally, these roles are filled by officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS), and other group A services.