Lateral recruitment to joint secretary and director posts unconstitutional: Tejashwi Yadav

PATNA: Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said the Centre's decision to hold lateral recruitment for joint secretary and director level posts on a contract basis in various ministries was "unconstitutional and malicious."

Yadav said, "It is an unconstitutional move by the Central Government to recruit its selected people to the post of joint secretary and director through lateral entry."

"There is an absolute possibility that the ruling party will select only those willing to promote its ideology, interests and propaganda. People coming through this process will bring the government's autocracy to an unfair level," he added.

Yadav said lakhs of youths put a lot of hard work to pass the UPSC examination and the Central Government planting its people inside the system through the "back door".

Terming it a 'malicious attempt', Yadav alleged that Central Government wants to "exclude people belonging to scheduled castes, tribes and backward classes from the system and reduce reservations".

He said the officials made through the UPSC examination remain "devoted to the nation and responsible to the citizens", but people who join the system through the lateral entry will be ''grateful to the government and the ruling party''.

According to Yadav, the Government can take advantage of the experience of professionals working in the private sector in many ways, UIDAI or Aadhaar is the best example of this.

"But disrupting the established process is an arrogant step in the wrong direction which is an injustice to the youth, and will limit the upliftment of the underprivileged," He said.

On February 5, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the lateral recruitment for Joint Secretary level and Director level posts on a contract basis in various ministries of the central government.

According to UPSC, it is being done as per the requisitions received from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoP&T), Government of India.

In a release, UPSC stated "talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation-building" are being invited to join the government at the level of director on a contract basis" in 13 ministries.