Rahul corners govt over UPSC chief appointment

New Delhi: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the appointment of the UPSC chairman, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that India's Constitution is being demolished. He also alleged that UPSC has now become the "Union Pracharak Sangh Commission" as people close to RSS are being appointed at key posts. In a tweet, Congress said, "Union Pracharak Sangh Commission. India's Constitution is being demolished, one Institution at a time."

Notably, Manoj Soni has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). There are allegations from different quarters that he has close ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while the UPSC should be a neutral body. Soni is Mumbai-born academician.

Also, Soni was the vice-chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Gujarat's Vadodara and he has been linked to the Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat.

UPSC is responsible for the recruitment of officers of various all-India services, including IAS, IFS, IPS, Army, doctors, and several other services. In the past, the UPSC chairpersons have been former officers of the Indian Administrative Service.