Cong doing politics, creating confusions on lateral entry issue: BJP leader Hitesh Jain (IANS Interview)

New Delhi, Aug 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) BJP's Madhya Pradesh unit Vice President Hitesh Jain on Tuesday criticised the Congress over its stance on the much-debated 'lateral entry' issue, accusing the opposition party of trying to gain political mileage over the issue while spreading confusion and misinformation among the people.

Lateral entry involves the process of making recruitments from outside the conventional government service cadres (e.g. UPSC) to fill up certain key positions.

In a series of posts on X, Jain took a dig at the opposition party, saying it was the Congress that had initiated the process of lateral entries. The BJP leader shared his views further on the matter during an interaction with IANS. Here are some excerpts.

IANS: What's your view on the incumbent government's approach to the lateral entry issue compared to the previous dispensations, especially from the perspective of social justice and equality?

Hitesh Jain: The lateral entry process under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is transparent, neutral and aims to take everyone along. As far as the government's role is concerned, it has been made clear that the recruitment process has to be done on the lines of directions of social justice shown by B.R. Ambedkar in the Constitution.

IANS: Lateral entry began when (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh was appointed the Chief Economic Advisor. Does the criticism by Congress hold any credibility today?

Hitesh Jain: If we talk about Manmohan Singh's appointment, then it's the Congress that initiated the process of lateral entries. The decision to name him Chief Economic Advisor was taken by the Congress. Also, it was Congress that set up the National Advisory Council (NAC). And no discussions on transparency or reservations were held back then...

IANS: How is the PM Modi-led government going to ensure that SC/STs, OBCs and other marginalised sections of society get priority in the lateral entry scheme?

Hitesh Jain: (Union Minister of State for Personnel) Jitendra Singh in his letter (to the UPSC) has stressed that the lateral hiring process should be done on the parameters of social justice. Whatever reservation policy is there, it should be reviewed as per legal provisions. The applicable process should be followed, so the deserving sections get reservations.

He (Jitendra Singh) has said that the lateral appointment process should be reviewed and scrapped. You must have seen that as soon as the UPSC got the letter, it scrapped the ongoing process. We hope that a process, based on social justice, will be prepared. The objectives of B.R. Ambedkar's Constitution should always be kept in mind.

IANS: There are claims that the Congress, through the NAC (in the UPA regime), had weakened equality and transparency. What is your opinion? How do you see it?

Hitesh Jain: The Congress has never been transparent. It has only indulged in politics. I have already told you that the Congress only has a tape record. It has always spoken lies, and spread falsehood. If you see the Congress' track record, then start with Manmohan Singh and see the members of the NAC. In the entire process of lateral entry, they disregarded the provisions of the reservation policy. They only paid lip service to it for political reasons. There has always been a difference between what the Congress says and what it does. Congress cannot show any track record of its own to show that it has respected the Constitution.

IANS: In your opinion, why is the Congress opposing the lateral entry scheme though it was the one that had brought it in?

Hitesh Jain: The Congress has no other option than to do politics over the matter, spread lies and create confusion. The party has lost three general elections in a row, and it's rattled. The party that loses election has got only one job in hand -- play dirty politics and divide the country on the basis of castes. When Congress started the process of lateral entry, neither it followed the Constitution nor did it provide reservations.

Source: IANS