Recently, the NDA government announced that it was opening up 10 senior positions in the bureaucracy to ‘outstanding individuals’ even from the private sector. The decision has ruffled many feathers including that of Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) who accused the BJP of trying to fill IAS ranks with ‘Sanghis’. He tweeted, “Why are time-tested UPSC and SSC being sought to be undermined? To fill IAS ranks with Sanghis and undermine reservation too, in the BJP’s last few months in office.”
https://twitter.com/SitaramYechury/status/1005788351784419328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, more popularly known for being the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, accused the ‘Manuwadi government’ of undermining the mandates of the constitution. He tweeted, “How can this Manuwadi government ignore UPSC and appoint people they like in posts as important as that of a joint secretary without any exam? This is a serious violation of both the Constitution as well as reservation criteria. Tomorrow they will appoint the prime minister and the Cabinet without elections. They have made a joke of the Constitution.”
https://twitter.com/yadavtejashwi/status/1005691581779701760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Congress spokesperson, P.L. Punia too voiced similar sentiments. He said, “This is totally wrong. They will try to recruit people associated with the RSS, the BJP and their affiliate organisations besides the employees working for top industrialists who are close to the government,” before adding, “They will try and influence government policies and these people will not be neutral or fair. This step is not in national interest.”
The move, which is being dubbed a significant reform for the Indian bureaucracy, is expected to boost its efficiency. However, as expected, the decision has not been received well by certain fronts. Perhaps, the political parties expect the BJP to indulge in the same manner of malpractice they have practised over the years.
It is well known that certain political parties have offered political patronage to certain ’eminent citizens’ in the fields of media and academia who, in turn, return the favour by acting as political fronts for the opposition. However, the BJP has hardly ever reciprocated the animosity harboured towards it by certain entities and even invited a journalist who was ‘excited’ about the possibility of Prime Minister Modi suffering from swine flu to an event organized by the BJP government. It appears fairly obvious if even for the lack of ideological fortitude displayed by the BJP, that merit will be the sole criterion for the lateral entry into the bureaucracy.