The Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal criticized Rahul Gandhi for claiming that the government was trying to undermine the reservation system through lateral entry. Meghwal reminded the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the finance secretary in 1976 through lateral entry.
The minister also dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s accusation that RSS members would be hired as public servants through this method, calling the claim “baseless.” Meghwal pointed out that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who formalized the lateral entry system by involving UPSC to set the rules. Before this, there was no structured process for such appointments.
“All appointments, recruitments, or selections are done by UPSC. There’s no involvement of BJP or RSS in this. These are baseless allegations,” Meghwal said in Bikaner.
He added that the RSS is an organization that promotes cultural nationalism and accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to mislead the public and damage the reputation of institutions like UPSC by spreading false information.
“Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to spread these lies will not succeed,” Meghwal said, emphasizing that as the Leader of the Opposition, a constitutional role, Rahul Gandhi should be more responsible in his statements.
Meghwal also noted that Dr. Manmohan Singh was appointed as finance secretary through lateral entry and questioned how that was different. He mentioned that Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, also entered service through lateral entry, and that Sonia Gandhi was made the head of the National Advisory Council, which is not a constitutional body.
He accused the Congress party of starting lateral entry and claimed that Prime Minister Modi merely organized it. Meghwal clarified that lateral entry positions are contractual and open to everyone, including SC, ST, and OBC candidates. He criticized Rahul Gandhi for suddenly showing concern for OBCs, accusing him of trying to mislead students from SC, ST, and OBC backgrounds.
Condemning the recent rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata, Meghwal expressed deep shame and criticized efforts to cover up the crime, calling it a “very shameful incident.”
Later, Meghwal, who is an MP from Bikaner, visited a BSF outpost on the Indo-Pakistan border in Khanuwali, where he celebrated Raksha Bandhan with women BSF personnel.
