Aug 20, 2024 03:53 PM IST
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge cautioned the ruling BJP and its ideological fount, RSS, will keep adopting new tactics to snatch away reservation as long as they are in power
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said his party’s campaign forced the government to seek cancellation of the advertisement for lateral entry of bureaucrats even as he cautioned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fount, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), will keep adopting new tactics to snatch away reservation as long as they are in power.
“Long live the Constitution! The Congress’s fight for social justice for our Dalits, tribals, backward and weaker sections has foiled the BJP’s plans to snatch away reservation.” He referred to Union minister Jitendra Singh’s letter to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairperson Preeti Sudan urging the cancellation and said it shows that only the power of the Constitution can defeat the arrogance of dictatorial power.
Kharge tagged Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition leader in Lok Sabha, and said the government has taken a step back due to the campaign of Congress and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance parties. He called for the need to be careful.
Kharge said the power of the people and the Opposition was saving the country from the Modi government, citing the removal of indexation benefits for capital gains tax on property, referral of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, or putting of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill on the back-burner.
In his letter to Sudan, Jitendra Singh said the cancellation of the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment.
The recruitment of public servants through lateral entry triggered a controversy with the Opposition saying the move was aimed at diluting caste-based reservations. Union minister Chirag Paswan was among those who opposed the scheme.
On Saturday, UPSC advertised 46 posts to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis. Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that the government was attacking the Constitution by “snatching away” reservations.
Government servants are usually recruited through the civil services exam process but lateral entrants, typically experts in a particular field, are inducted directly. No quota is currently applicable to these appointments.
Jitendra Singh underlined in his letter to Sudan the importance of upholding the constitutional mandate towards social justice so that deserving candidates from marginalised communities get their rightful representation in government services. “Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments,” he wrote. He added this aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed.
The government on Monday released a list of 10 prominent people the previous United Progressive Alliance government brought in through lateral entry.
