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Why S Jaishankar replaced Sujatha Singh as India’s new Foreign Secretary in Narendra Modi’s regime?

Singh Was Only The Third Woman To Take Charge Of The Post In August 2013. The Ex-Foreign Secretary Has Also Not Been Assigned Any Post As Of Now. On The Other Hand, A 1977-batch IFS Officer, S Jaishankar, Who Had Only Two Days To Go For His Retirement, Was Appointed New Foreign Secretary And Will Have A Two-year Tenure.

By : Devika Chhibber | Updated on: 29 Jan 2015, 12:46:21 PM

New Delhi:

In a shocking development on Wednesday night, India rewarded Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh by booting her out of the Modi government three days after managing successfully the US President Barack Obama’s India visit for Republic Day.

Singh was only the third woman to take charge of the post in August 2013. The ex-Foreign Secretary has also not been assigned any post as of now. On the other hand, a 1977-batch IFS officer, S Jaishankar, who had only two days to go for his retirement, was appointed new Foreign Secretary and will have a two-year tenure.

In fact Sujatha Singh's tenure, which was due to end in eight months, was 'curtailed' with immediate effect- reasons however remain unknown.

But if sources are to be believed then the move was in the offing for long given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly been keen on shunting Sujatha Singh out at the earliest.

According to an English newspaper report, the newly-appointed PM had wanted to remove Singh from her post earlier but the decision was intervened by Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

So much so that the government refused to clear any ambassadorial appointments in the last six months and is now following up with a slew of appointments.

It was also reported that Modi for sometime had kept Singh out of crucial decision making that included the cancellation of Foreign Secretary talks with Pakistan.

Another prominent newspaper quoteed government sources saying that Singh wanted voluntary retirement. It was also speculated that Modi government’s decision might spark beauacratic tensions.

A similar case was witnessed during Rajiv Gandhi’s regime when he sacked his Foreign Secretary AP Venkateswaran leading to a huge controversy and stiff protest by the Foreign Service.

The issue has also given some fuel to Opposition’s fire with Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari questioning Sujatha Singh’s removal.

On Thursday morning, he tweeted, “Is sacking of Foreign Secretary late retribution for stand on the Devyani Khorbode affair?Removal after Presidential visit mere coincidence?”.

Notably, Sujatha Singh was handpicked by UPA government over S Jaishankar, who was reportedly a front runner to be the foreign secretary, because of her seniority.

However, contradictory reports suggest that ex-PM Manmohan Singh may have been overruled by his party on the decision to appoint Jaishankar as the foreign secretary.

Significantly, Sujatha Singh's father was former IB chief and ex-UP governor TV Rajeshwar, who is seen as a Congress loyalist. While S Jaishankar is the son of defence strategist K Subrahmanyam, who also happens to be the longest serving ambassador to China.

On Thursday after taking charge as Foreign Secretary, Jaishankar refused to take any questions on his appointment but added that he is 'honoured' to be entrusted with the responsibility.

"Government's responsibilities are my responsibilities," he added.

It seems Modi government is adamant in replacing officers appointed under UPA regime and this time they waited for the US president's trip to end successfully before making the announcement.

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First Published : 29 Jan 2015, 11:02:00 AM

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