Foreign affairs
The naming of Ranjan Mathai as India’s foreign secretary has ended an intense race for the prestigious job, much of which was played out beyond the public gaze. Mr Mathai has been serving as India’s ambassador to France since January 2007 and had to contend with the claims of Hardeep Puri, ambassador to the UN, and Sharat Sabharwal, high commissioner to Pakistan, among other notables.
Though the current incumbent and US ambassador-designate Nirupama Rao will move to Washington D.C. only next month, Mr Mathai may not have much time to learn the complexities of his new job. In fact, he may find his plate full already. Obviously, dealing with neighbours is going to consume much of his attention — the uneasy relations with Pakistan, the constantly evolving situation in Afghanistan, China and Nepal. Before his appointment, it was pointed out by some that Mr Mathai’s lack of experience in our immediate neighbourhood would be a detriment. Obviously, the government does not think so and once again the iron law of seniority has worked its magic.
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Playing safe
Fear and caution in the age of scams. Rattled by the spate of corruption scandals involving the high and mighty of the land, it is not surprising that both netas and officials are playing it safe. The P.J. Thomas affair has cast a long shadow over the selection of his successor, which has been delayed. Clearly, the government wishes to avoid a repeat of the Thomas situation and is therefore moving carefully.
The arrest of former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam, too, seems to have had a debilitating and paralysing effect on the upper echelons of babudom. Given the scam-a-day scenario and with Central Bureau of Investigation sleuths poking around everywhere, clearly babus are scared to handle files or take decisions, fearing anything they do may backfire on them. Naturally with everyone playing safe, nothing is moving in the sarkar. Unfortunately, that includes several big-ticket decisions, which now babus prefer to put off as far as possible.
The word now is that many senior babus are hoping that the Supreme Court will intervene and define the so-far rather arbitrary nature of the relationship between babus and their political masters. But, for now, it probably pays to play safe.
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