Congress Criticizes Modi's Sudden U-turn on Lateral Entry

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized Union Ministers for their sudden shift from blaming former PM Manmohan Singh to praising PM Modi over lateral entry reform. The UPSC's cancellation of the latest lateral-entry advertisement sparked political debates about reservations and governance reforms.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticized some Union ministers for their abrupt change in stance regarding the lateral-entry issue, shifting from blaming former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This follows the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) cancellation of the latest advertisement for lateral-entry recruitment, amid political debates over the reservation provision for these positions.

Ramesh pointed out that up until the previous evening, Manmohan Singh was being blamed by Union Ministers for the lateral-entry scheme. The ministers have now been 'derailed' and forced to hail Modi as a 'champion of social justice' after the Centre's decision to cancel the recruitment.

He highlighted that lateral entry was advocated by the NITI Aayog in 2017 as a significant reform to transform the civil service but has now been scrapped. Another Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, also claimed the Centre was attempting to bypass the reservation system, a statement countered by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

(With inputs from agencies.)