"It is a direct assault on social justice," says Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on UPSC lateral entry scheme

Chennai: Reacting to the UPSC lateral entry recruitment scheme, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin on Tuesday termed it a direct assault on social justice, adding that a caste census is imperative to guarantee basic rights to backward classes.
In a post on social media platform X, he listed out the steps to uphold social justice and safeguard reservation.
"Lateral Entry is a direct assault on social justice, depriving meritorious SC, ST, OBC and minority officers of their deserved opportunities at the top. The Union Government must halt this practice, prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs & SC/STs, and ensure fair and equitable promotions," he posted on X.
He also demanded the complete abolition of the creamy layer.
"We demand the complete abolition of the creamy layer; a concept we have always opposed. In the meantime, the stagnant ceiling for the Creamy Layer must be raised without any further delay," he added in his post.
He also highlighted the significance of the caste census in his post, saying, "Above all, a nationwide Caste Census is imperative to guarantee that educational and job opportunities are justly distributed to all backward and oppressed sections of our society, who have been historically denied their rightful share.".
Earlier on Monday, reacting to the UPSC lateral recruitment scheme, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said that his party did not agree with how these posts had been advertised as reservations had not been taken into consideration. Paswan, whose party has five MPs, said his party was completely against this.
"The first thing is that the government's thinking is completely in support of reservation. The Prime Minister's thinking is in support of reservation. My party and I do not agree with how direct recruitment for some posts has been demanded, in which reservations have not been taken into consideration, we are completely against this. Being a part of the government, we have also registered this concern on the appropriate platform of the government," Chirag Paswan said.
He further said that wherever there are government appointments, the provisions of reservation must be followed.
He further said, "In the coming days too, we will raise a strong voice on this. Wherever there are government appointments, the provisions of reservation must be followed. The way reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs have been going on in government jobs, it is mandatory to keep it in mind in every appointment and if it is not kept, which we have also seen today, then the government will definitely take appropriate action for this."
Paswan's stand will come as a fillip to the opposition that has attacked the lateral entry scheme for not having reservations.
On Monday, leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack against the move, saying that it was an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.
Taking to social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, "Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. BJP's distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans."
UPSC recently invited applications for 45 mid-level posts, including joint secretaries, directors, and deputy secretaries, through lateral entry. Several opposition parties have opposed the decision.