NEW DELHI: Upping the ante over the lateral entry issue, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday called it an attack on Dalits, OBCs and adivasis, and accused the BJP of seeking to snatch reservations from ‘bahujans’.

The Congress has strongly criticised the government after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Saturday issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry — referred to as the appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in government departments.

“Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and adivasis,” Gandhi said on X.  “The BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from bahujans,” the former Congress chief said.

Government sources have said the concept of lateral entry was first introduced under the Congress-led UPA regime and was strongly endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission established by it in 2005.

Also, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the Congress’ criticism of the lateral entry system in senior bureaucracy shows its “hypocrisy”, and asserted the BJP-led NDA government has created a transparent method to implement the concept developed by the UPA dispensation.

In a post in Hindi on X on Sunday, Gandhi had termed the government’s move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry an “anti-national step”, alleging that the reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs is being “openly snatched away” by such an action.

“Reservation of SC, ST and OBC classes is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on important posts in various ministries of the central government,” Gandhi had said.

The INDIA bloc will strongly oppose this “anti-national step” that hurts both the administrative structure and social justice, Gandhi had said. “Privatisation of the IAS is Modi’s guarantee for ending reservation,” he had said.