Congress Leader KC Venugopal Criticizes PM Modi Over Lateral Entry System Withdrawal
New Delhi [India], August 21: Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-RSS regime after the central government withdrew the lateral entry advertisement. Venugopal called it a ‘harsh lesson’ for PM Modi and accused the BJP of using the system to undermine reservation policies.
In a post on X, Venugopal highlighted that for six years, many voices have raised concerns about how the lateral entry system threatens reservation provisions in the bureaucracy. He stated, “Let this lateral entry incident serve as a harsh lesson for PM Modi and the BJP-RSS regime to never tamper with the Constitution.”
Venugopal emphasized that under the leadership of INC President Mallikarjun Kharge and LOP Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party will be staunch guardians of the Constitution and reservations. He praised NDA allies who opposed the BJP’s move and urged the government to ensure adequate representation for marginalized communities in the senior bureaucracy.
Earlier, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh also criticized the central government over the lateral entry withdrawal. In a post on X, Ramesh noted that lateral entry was strongly advocated by NITI Aayog in 2017 and announced as a major reform in 2018. He mentioned that since 2019, there have been 63 appointments through lateral entry, with 45 more planned this year, which have now been canceled.
Ramesh accused PM Modi of trying to do ‘damage control’ and shifting responsibility, stating that the initiative was initially hailed as one of Modi’s transformational measures. The UPSC recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry, but following criticism, the Department of Personnel and Training asked UPSC to cancel the advertisement.
Doubts Revealed
Congress Leader -: A Congress Leader is a person who is part of the Indian National Congress, a major political party in India.
KC Venugopal -: KC Venugopal is a senior leader in the Indian National Congress party and serves as its General Secretary.
PM Modi -: PM Modi refers to Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India.
Lateral Entry System -: The Lateral Entry System allows professionals from outside the government to join the civil services at senior positions.
BJP-RSS -: BJP is the Bharatiya Janata Party, a major political party in India. RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization.
Reservation Policies -: Reservation Policies in India are rules that reserve a certain percentage of jobs and education seats for people from marginalized communities.
Constitution -: The Constitution is the supreme law of India that outlines the country’s fundamental principles and rights.
NDA allies -: NDA allies are political parties that are part of the National Democratic Alliance, a coalition led by the BJP.
Marginalized Communities -: Marginalized Communities are groups of people who have been historically disadvantaged and have less access to resources and opportunities.
Jairam Ramesh -: Jairam Ramesh is another senior leader in the Indian National Congress party.
Damage Control -: Damage Control means actions taken to limit the negative effects of a mistake or problem.