Lateral entry into bureaucracy is a direct assault on social justice and it deprived opportunities deserved for meritorious and minority officers from the reserved categories, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Tuesday. He called upon the Central government to halt this practice, and instead prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs, SC/STs, and ensure fair and equitable promotions. "We demand the complete abolition of the creamy layer, a concept we have always opposed," the chief minister said in a post on 'X'. In order to uphold social justice, safeguard reservation and ensure its rightful implementation, the following steps must be taken immediately, he said. "#LateralEntry is a direct assault on #SocialJustice, depriving the meritorious SC, ST, OBC and minority officers of their deserved opportunities at the top," Stalin said in the post. "The Union Govt must halt this practice, prioritise filling backlog vacancies for OBCs & SC/STs, and ensure fair and ...