Quota must in govt jobs, no ifs and buts: Chirag Paswan on UPSC lateral entry

New Delhi: BJP ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday slammed any move for appointments in government positions without following reservations and asserted that he would raise the issue with the Centre.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president's reaction came over the recent advertisement to fill posts through lateral entry on a contract basis that the opposition has alleged snatches away reservations for the disadvantaged communities.

"Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There is 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," he told PTI.

Paswan said as a member of the government, he has the platform to raise the issue and he would. The Union minister also said that as far as his party is concerned, it is absolutely not in support of such a measure.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) 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, stating the NDA government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led UPA.

The Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also alleged that it was a "conspiracy" by the BJP to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door.

However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the Congress' criticism of the lateral entry system in senior bureaucracy shows its "hypocrisy".

In a post on X, Vaishnaw said the reform measure implemented by the NDA government will improve governance. "INC (Indian National Congress) hypocrisy is evident on lateral entry matter. It was the UPA government which developed the concept of lateral entry," he said.

He said the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), chaired by Veerappa Moily and established in 2005 by the then Congress-led UPA government, "recommended recruitment of experts to fill the gaps in roles that require specialised knowledge".

The minister said the NDA government has created a transparent method to implement the recommendation made by the ARC.