Not DRDO all over again: Sujatha Singh knew she would be replaced, says Sushma

Keen perhaps to avoid another DRDO-like situation, the NDA government has taken pains to refute reports that Sujatha Singh did not know that she was to be replaced as foreign secretary by India’s envoy to the US, Dr Jaishankar. External Affairs Minster Sushma Swaraj tweeted that not only did Singh know that she was to be replaced, but that she had also spoken to Singh personally about the decision.

I told her that the Government wanted to appoint Dr.Jaishankar as Foreign Secretary.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 29, 2015

Then I spoke to Ms Sujatha Singh personally.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 29, 2015

Since Dr.Jaishankar was retiring on 31st January, we had to issue orders of his appointment before that date.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 29, 2015

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The decision announced by the Cabinet appointments committee took everyone by surprise, with even the Congress party demanding to know why Singh had been ‘sacked’. Many drew parallels with the unceremonious ouster of DRDO chief Avinash Chander, who reportedly found out that he was going to be removed via media reports. [caption id=“attachment_2071559” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image from PIB[/caption] The incident left a sour taste in the mouth, despite defence minister Manohar Parrikar saying that it was done in an effort to introduce young blood into the ageing organisation. Although many agreed with the decision and the logic behind it, the way it was done only added to perception that the Modi government was being ruthless in its treatment of government employees who had served the country for many years. So this time around, and especially with an important state election right around the corner, the government wants to make it clear that Singh’s ouster was not a surprise to her. In fact, Singh herself had sent a farewell mail to her colleagues, in which she had said that ’no individual is larger than the institution’. The letter added that, “I believe that the Foreign Secretary, as Head of this service and the senior-most civil servant in the Ministry, plays a critical role in being the main point of interface with the political leadership, in giving objective advice that takes into account India’s foreign policy interests over all connected and interlinked aspects… While individuals can and do play a critical role in building institutions, I believe that no individual is larger than the institution. It can never be about individuals. It has to be about institutions and how institutions interface and coordinate with each other.” She had also said that she sought an early retirement after 38 years in the service. However, Singh had reportedly not been present when Jaishankar took over the office. As clarified by Swaraj, under the rules of service, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer cannot be appointed foreign secretary once he/she is past the official retirement age of 60. As Foreign Secretary, Jaishankar now gets a fresh two-year tenure. Meanwhile, Jaishankar did not mention Singh either after taking charge. “My priorities are the government’s priorities. So, I think at this time let’s leave it at that…. This is a big responsibility. I would say that I am very honoured that I have been assigned this responsibility,” he said.