Modi's Man Friday in Gujarat gets one year extension; "good news" for chief secretary

By A Representative
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Man Friday in Gujarat chief minister's office (CMO) K Kailashnathan has got one year extension, dodging rumours that he would sent as governor to a south Indian state, or alternatively would be shifted to Delhi to "serve" the PM. The extension once again suggests that Kailashnathan, who retired two years ago, holds the key in Gujarat's administrative affairs, as Modi's chief contact person in Gandhinagar.
Kailashnathan's extension, say sources, is a "good news" for present Gujarat chief secretary D Jagatheesa Pandian as well. Under criticism from a section of the Gujarat cadre IAS bureaucrats, Pandian is being particularly sought to be cornered for his alleged "failure" to revive the premier state public sector undertaking (PSU), Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), which was recently forced to drop its expensive oil and gas explorations both in Krishna-Godavari Basin (KG) off Andhra Pradesh coast as well as in Egypt and other countries, where it won bids.
Pandian was GSPC managing-director for most of the last decade, and he backed Modi's 2005 announcement that the GSPC's oil-and-gas KG Basin exploration was 20 trillion cubic feet (tcf), highest by any Indian oil-and-gas company so far. It was later found, however, that the GSPC's exploration was not more than 2 tcf, out of only one third was recoverable.

Pandian

The Gujarat government has already applied for Pandian's six month extension, a knowledgeable source said, pointing out, "Even the application for a six-month extension to Pandian would not have been possible without Modi's nod. He will certainly get it."

However, the source insisted, this "does not augur well for the person who is the immediate junior of Pandian, GR Aloria, additional chief secretary, home and urban development, who was almost sure to become the chief secretary on Pandian's retirement in May-end 2015."
The sources suspect, Aloria may not become chief secretary despite the fact that he had considerably "improved" his chances recently. He moved against Ford Foundation: Indeed, it was under his direction only, the sources say, the Gujarat home department wrote a letter to the Union home ministry to "investigate" Ford Foundation's funding of prominent human rights activist Teesta Setalvad's NGO, saying it has helped communal discord.

Aloria

Already, as in charge of finance in the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), Aloria worked overtime to acquire land for quickly constructing canals in the Narmada command area, earning goodwill from chief minister Anandiben Patel. The canal work was lying idle for several years, drawing lot of criticism on the Gujarat government from various quarters for several years.
"If Pandian gets six month extension, it means he would finally quit as head of the state administration in November 2015, leaving just eight months as chief secretary", sources said, adding, "If that happens, instead of Aloria, a decision may possibly be taken to install JN Singh, state finance secretary, who is one of most competent bureaucrats, as the next junior to Aloria, as the new chief secretary of Gujarat."

Comments

'Tax the top': Nationwide protests demand action as 1% control 40% of India’s wealth

By A Representative Civil rights groups across the country observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, as people from diverse backgrounds united to raise their voices against growing economic inequality. The mobilisations marked the launch of a nationwide campaign against inequality, running from March 23 to April 14 (Ambedkar Jayanti), under the banner of the “Tax The Top” campaign.

Fair prices, fresh produce: Vegetable market opens in Rajasthan tribal village

By Vikas Meshram* On 18 March 2026, the tribal village of Sajjangarh in southern Rajasthan witnessed the grand and dignified inauguration of a new vegetable market (mandi). Established through the tireless joint efforts of the Krushi Avam Adivasi Swaraj Sangathan (Bhilkuaan) and Vaagdhara, under the active leadership of the Gram Panchayat of Sajjangarh, the market is being hailed as a cornerstone for local self-governance, self-reliance, and a sustainable rural economy.

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Ex-IAS Atanu Chakraborty and a tale of two different Gujarat vision documents

By Rajiv Shah The likely appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as HDFC Bank chairman interested me for several reasons, but above all because I have interacted with him closely during my more than 14 year stint in Gandhinagar for the “Times of India”. One of the few decent Gujarat cadre bureaucrats, Chakraborty, belonging to the 1985 IAS batch, at least till I covered Sachivalaya was surely above controversies. He loved to remain faceless, never desired publicity, was professional to the core, and never indulged in loose talk. When he neared retirement, which happened in April 2020, first there were rumours in Sachivalaya that he would be appointed SEBI chairman, and then there was talk he would be chairman (or was it CEO?) of Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City (a dream project of Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister, which as Prime Minister Modi wants to promote, come what may). But, for some strange reasons, and I don’t know why, none of this happened, despite the fact...

Witnessing Iran beyond propaganda: Truth, war, and the path beyond western paradigm

By Naile Manjarrés On June 23, 2025—marked as the 2nd of Tir, 1404, on the Persian calendar—a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced. This "night of the decree" shifted the trajectory of global affairs; although the world may appear unchanged on the surface, we have yet to fully grasp its impact.

Environmental expert urges policy overhaul as forest and water resources face critical decline

By A Representative On the occasion of World Forest Day and World Water Day , observed on March 21 and 22, environmental voices from the Western Ghats have issued a stark warning to the Union government, calling for an urgent paradigm shift in how India manages its interconnected natural resources. In a formal communication addressed to Union Minister for Jal Shakti , Sri C R Patil , and Union Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change , Sri Bhupendra Yadav , policy analyst Shankar Sharma has highlighted a growing disconnect between sectoral policies and the holistic reality of resource governance.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Weaponised bravery, institutionalised cowardice as the engine of authoritarianism

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The insidious politics of crony capitalism is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, aided by the reckless expansion of artificial intelligence and other technologies designed not to liberate but to dominate, domesticate, and dehumanise societies. Alongside this, an illiberal politics of cowardice is emerging—serving as an accomplice to dehumanisation amid growing imperialist wars and conflicts across the world. Death in distant lands no longer stirs conscience. The push-button culture of digital screens has transformed social media into a disconnected, individualised, Hobbesian space, where the puritan pursuit of self-interest is elevated as the essence of human existence.

Search This Blog