Race for Gujarat chief secretary: SK Nanda's Congress past a hurdle for his "claim"

Varesh Sinha (right)

The Gujarat government is learnt to have made an unlikely move – it has "approached" the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for finding out possibilities of a third extension for the incumbent chief secretary Varesh Sinha. Well-informed sources in the state bureaucracy have revealed that while the reason being offered for seeking Sinha’s third extension is the need of his “indispensable” services for the forthcoming Vibrant Gujarat investors’ world business meet, to take place in on January 11-12, 2015. “Sinha is already deep into preparations. His services have become necessary for the next summit”, a top Sachivalaya source said, quoting officials close to Sinha.
The extension is being sought, according to sources, despite the fact that the rule book does not allow the chief secretary to serve for more than six months post-retirement. Retired in April 2014, his first extension was from May to July 2014, and the second began in August and will end on October 31, 2014. “The Prime Minister can always make an exception to the rule, and the state government is sure he will”, the sources pointed out, adding, “Sinha, who once was a known critic of chief minister Anandiben Patel, has been able to move closer to her, and she has supported the view that he should be allowed another three months.”
Meanwhile, expecting Modi to go by the rule book, a section of the state babudom believe he will reject the chief minister’s suggestion for extending Sinha’s term citing the Vibrant Gujarat summit. Three senior bureaucrats are in the race for the top administrative post – additional chief secretary (home) SK Nanda, additional chief secretary (industries) D Jagatheesa Pandian, and additional chief secretary (finance) Hasmukh Adhia. “In case the state government decides to go by bureaucratic hierarchy, the post should go to SK Nanda. However, so far, there is no indication that the chief minister will do that”, an official said.

Nanda

Nanda is clearly the senior-most senior IAS bureaucrat, next only to Sinha (1977 batch). Yet, the state government refused to allow to make it to the top post – first on May 1, when Sinha was given the first extension to “prepare” for a full-fledged budget session in July, following the Lok Sabha polls, and then on August 1, when the state government did not give any reason but simply extended Sinha’s term. Nanda, say officials, was “quite puzzled”, and did not know why the chief minister was acting this way. A senior official said, “Sinha has already suffered for six months, one can hope the chief minister will act in the right spirit, appointing the senior-most person as the next chief secretary”.
Reasons for not allowing Nanda as chief secretary are a matter of speculation. They range from Nanda remaining chief secretary till February 2, 1016, a rather long period, to his closeness to Delhi’s senior Congress leaders, which has allegedly remained intact for decades. A student leader in Delhi University, he was reportedly close to the Congress coterie under Sanjay Gandhi during the Emergency (1975-77). He was also acting president of the Youth Congress-backed Delhi University Students Union, when senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley headed the ABVP.
The view is that if Nanda is made chief secretary, his immedaite competitor Pandian is sure to lose his chance, as the latter retires in May 2015. As for Adhia, the other competitor, he would still have two-and-a-half years to be Gujarat chief secretary if Nanda is made chief secretary. Adhia retires from IAS in November 2018, and has a better chance than Pandian: Known to be close to Modi, he was principal secretary in the chief minister’s office between 2004 and 2006, following which he went to do PhD on Modi’s karmayogi maha abhiyan programme – a campaign to educate Gujarat babus in good governance – in Bangalore.
Heading state industries department, Pandian is currently handling preparations for the Vibrant Gujarat summit. There is a strong view that his chances to be made the next chief secretary have “lately diminished”, as he does not enjoy the same support from the chief minister like earlier. Anandiben Patel was particularly unhappy with him for not remaining alert enough while releasing a map to media during the Chinese president’s visit to Ahmedabad, which showed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as disputed territories. A top aide of the chief minister said, the CM called him and “fired” him for the mess, with the Congress making political capital out of it.
Meanwhile, officials say, it would be wrong to believe that the Gujarat government would completely rule out the possibility that several of the IAS bureaucrats, who remain on deputation outside Gujarat, to take over as chief secretary. They are senior to both Pandian and Adhia, but junior to Nanda. The names include Rajiv Takru (of 1979 IAS batch, retiring in September 2015), Guari Kumar (of 1979 IAS batch, retiring in August 2015), PK Pujari (of 1981 IAS batch, retiring in June 2017), and Rita Teotia (of 1981 IAS batch, retiring in July 2018). Anything can happen, as the going says.

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Not just Haren Pandya, even Dhirubhai Shah, youngest assembly speaker, wanted to be Gujarat CM

Dhirubhai Shah with Keshubhai Patel When Keshubhai Patel was sought to be replaced by the BJP high command in 2001, everyone knows that Narendra Modi became the final choice. However, someone who was part of the top circles those days now tells me something I had no knowledge of—that the choice was between Modi and a Kutch MLA, Dhirubhai Shah, who served as the 16th Speaker from March 1998 to December 2002 during the 10th Assembly, the youngest to take the office.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Search This Blog