Chirag Paswan Demands Quota in UPSC Lateral Entry without Any Conditions

Chirag Paswan expressed his belief that reservation should be present in all government appointments, in alignment with Rahul Gandhi’s critique that lateral entry without quota excludes disadvantaged communities. Paswan stated that he intended to address this issue with the government and emphasized that his party does not support such a measure. He highlighted the necessity of reservation provisions in government appointments and expressed concern over the absence of reservations in the private sector. As a member of the government, he affirmed his intention to raise this issue.

The controversy stemmed from the recent advertisement by the UPSC for lateral entry recruitment to fill 45 posts on a contract basis. This move has faced criticism from the Congress, alleging it as an attempt to take away jobs from disadvantaged classes and give them to RSS cadres, the ideological mentor of the BJP. The Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Bahujan Samaj Party have accused the BJP of orchestrating a “conspiracy” to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the NDA government is undermining the rights of Dalits, tribals, and backward classes.

Furthermore, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw argued that the Congress’ criticism reveals its hypocrisy and pointed out that the concept of lateral entry was developed during the UPA government.