Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that the lateral entry scheme is an attack on Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis.

Launching a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-le Central government, the former Congress chief said that BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans.

Earlier on August 18, the Raebareli MP slammed PM Modi-led BJP government and said Narendra Modi is attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh” instead of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Reservation of SC, ST, and OBC categories is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on important posts in various ministries of the Central government, the Congress leader said. He reiterated that the underprivileged are not represented in all the top positions in the country, including the top bureaucracy.

Instead of improving this, Gandhi said they are being pushed further away from top positions through lateral entry.

Hitting out at PM Modi-led Central government, he said this is a robbery of the rights of talented youth preparing for UPSC and an attack on the concept of social justice including reservation for the deprived.

A prime example of what representatives of a few corporates will do by occupying key government positions is SEBI, where for the first time a person from the private sector has been made the chairperson, he lashed out at Centre.

The former Congress chief said Opposition bloc INDIA will strongly oppose this anti-national move which hurts both the administrative structure and social justice. Privatisation of IAS is ‘Modi’s guarantee’ to end reservations, he asserted.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the Centre over the lateral entry scheme and explained why the Modi government’s lateral entry provision is an attack on the Constitution.

In a series of reasons, Kharge pointed out that instead of filling jobs in government departments, BJP has eliminated 5.1 lakh posts in the last 10 years by selling off Government of India’s shares in PSUs alone.

The second reason he put that there has been an increase of 91% in casual and contract recruitment. SC, ST, OBC posts have been reduced by 1.3 lakh by 2022-23, he added.

“We brought in a select group of lateral entry specialists and experts to place them in certain sector-specific positions as per their fitment, but the Modi government has made the provision of lateral entry not to appoint experts in the government but to snatch the rights of Dalits, tribals and backward classes”, he clarified the then UPA government’s intentions behind bringing lateral entry scheme.

Kharge charged that the posts of SC, ST, OBC, and EWS will now be given to people of RSS. This is the BJP’s Chakravyuh to change the Constitution by snatching away the reservation, he further charged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday celebrated Raksha Bandhan with school students in Delhi. The Prime Minister shared candid pictures of school girls tying Rakhis on his wrist on a social media platform.

In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Happy to have marked Raksha Bandhan with my young friends.” He was seen celebrating the occasion with the children and interacting with them in the video shared by ANI.

Earlier in the day, he wished all the countrymen on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

The Prime Minister said: “Best wishes to all countrymen on the occasion of Rakshabandhan, a festival symbolizing the immense love between brother and sister.”

“May this holy festival bring new sweetness in the relationships of all of you and happiness, prosperity, and good fortune in life”, PM Modi added.

President Droupadi Murmu also extended her greetings on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The President also met students from different government schools at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jayant Chaudhary were also present at the event.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also extended his greetings on this occasion in a social media post.

Sharing a picture with sister Priyanka Gandhi, he said, “Many congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen on the festival of Rakshabandhan, the festival of unbreakable love and affection between brother and sister. May this thread of protection always keep your sacred relationship strong.”

On the occasion, Usha Rana from Rashtriya Sainik Sansthan met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at his residence and tied Rakhi on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Students from Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School tie Rakhi to the Defence Minister on the occasion.

On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, state minister Danasari Seethakka and other female leaders of the state tied rakhi to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at his Jubilee Hills residence.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also extended his greetings on the occasion of Rakshabandhan. In a post on X, he wrote, “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to the people of the state on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, a great festival symbolizing the immense love and unwavering trust between brother and sister! May this festival bring good fortune in the life of all of you; may the spirit of harmony, benevolence, and cooperation become stronger in the society, this is my prayer to Lord Shri Ram.”

As doctors’ protests intensify in the country, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

A bench of Chief Justice of Supreme Court DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case on August 20.

On Thursday, two lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India urging him to take suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. “The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality.”

“The victim in this case is a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others. She deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain; it must galvanize us to act and ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” stated the letter.

It was also stated that the time has come for the judiciary to send a clear and resounding message that such heinous crimes will not be tolerated. The sanctity of life and the dignity of women must be fiercely protected by the full might of the law.

Earlier on August 16, the Calcutta High Court slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government after a mob attacked and vandalised the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital on August 14 night during a protest against the sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor saying an absolute failure of State machinery.

The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, T.S. Sivagnanam, said that the Court took the matter since it received an email on the vandalism and mob attack at the hospital.

A division bench termed it a sorry state of affairs. The State Police was not able to protect itself, how can these doctors work fearlessly, the Court asked? The Court said it would shut down the hospital and shift the patients to other hospitals.

The Chief Justice slammed the state and said, “You pass Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for any reason, but when so much commotion is going on, you should have cordoned off the entire area. This is an absolute failure of state machinery.” The Court wondered how 7,000 people come walking.