Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal took a dig at Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday regarding his criticism of the government’s lateral entry initiative, highlighting that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also a “lateral entrant.”
In a video message, Meghwal noted that while Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, holds a significant position, he appears uninformed about the issue. “Rahul Gandhi claims that lateral entry is a strategy to recruit RSS members, but let’s not forget that Dr. Manmohan Singh was also a lateral entrant. He was directly appointed as Financial Secretary in 1976. Similarly, the UPA’s Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, was another example of lateral entry. There are countless such instances,” said Meghwal.
Meghwal further accused the Congress of initiating lateral entry but failing to follow through. “The Congress set up the Administrative Reforms Commission in 2005, but they never implemented its recommendations during their tenure. Prime Minister Modi has only formalized what the Congress began,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Congress continued its attack on the lateral entry system, with Rahul Gandhi claiming that it undermines the representation of Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis. Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s interpretation of “Ram Rajya” threatens the Constitution and jeopardizes reservations meant for marginalized communities.
