"Victory for social justice": MK Stalin after Centre asks UPSC to cancel latest advertisement for lateral entry

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 20 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday called the central government's decision to cancel lateral entry into the bureaucracy a "victory for social justice" and said that this move came after the INDIA bloc opposed the provision.
Furthermore, Stalin advocated a nation-wide caste census and asserted that it is essential to protect the rights of backward and oppressed people.
In a social media post on X, MK Stalin wrote, "Victory for #SocialJustice! The Union Govt has withdrawn the lateral entry recruitment after strong opposition from our #INDIA bloc. But we must remain vigilant, as the Union BJP Govt will try to undermine reservation through various forms. The arbitrary 50 percent ceiling on reservation must be broken, and a nationwide #CasteCensus is essential to protect the rights of the backward and oppressed.
https://x.com/mkstalin/status/1825868467964379617
Earlier in a day, after the Centre asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cancel the latest advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reflected the commitment towards Babasaheb's Constitution through a very important decision.
The Union Minister said that PM Modi has always shown his commitment towards social justice.
"Today, PM Modi has reflected the commitment towards Babasaheb's Constitution through a very important decision. A decision has been taken to implement principles of reservation in the very transparent method of lateral entry in UPSC. PM Modi has always shown his commitment towards social justice," he said.
"During the UPA government, principles of reservation were not taken into consideration...Did Congress keep the principle in mind at that time? They should answer that. To bring lateral entry through UPSC was a method to bring transparency by PM Modi. And now by bringing the reservation principle in it reflects his commitment towards social justice and the constitution," the Union Minister added.
Meanwhile, the Congress has claimed a victory for opposing the scheme after the Union Government decided to cancel the advertisement by the UPSC that had called for lateral entry jobs in mid-level posts.
In a post on X, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, "We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil conspiracies like BJP's 'lateral entry' at any cost. I am saying it again - by breaking the 50% reservation limit, we will ensure social justice based on the caste census. Jai Hind."
The reactions follow the Department of Personnel and Training Minister, Jitendra Singh writing to the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission today to cancel the advertisement related to several lateral entry posts at various levels in the central government as per directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.