Modi-Dhankhar
bonding Buzz
The
bonhomie between the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime
Minister Modi is keenly watched by political pundits. This chemistry is
something rare never witnessed before. It is no secret that the relationship
between the PM and former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was not cordial.
Knowledgeable sources say that there was no warmth between them. But
Dhankhar-Modi chemistry is being witnessed with considerable interest. Highly
placed sources say that Modi drove down to the Vice President's House at 6
Maulana Azad Marg last month and was closeted with Dhankhar for nearly two hours.
No official statement or photograph was released of this meeting. On the other
hand, when Modi called on the President, Draupadi Murmu recently it was widely
publicized and photographs were posted on twitter. But what transpired between
Dhankhar and Modi during the unusually long meeting is not immediately known.
It seems the PM shared his thoughts with Dhankhar on domestic and international
affairs. It was only after this meeting that Dhankhar undertook two foreign
visits in a short span of 15 days. Official sources say that the PM could
not visit Cambodia for the ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit due to
his preoccupation with the G-20 Summit in Bali. Therefore, Jagdeep Dhankhar was
requested to do the honours instead. Dhankhar met the world leaders
at Phnom Penh including US President Joe Biden. The External Affairs
Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, accompanied Dhankhar at the
summit. The ASEAN leaders were expecting President Murmu to attend the
Summit. But it was not to be. Dhankhar had hardly unpacked his bags but had to
leave for Doha to attend the inaugural ceremony for the FIFA World Cup. This
may be just a beginning for Dhankhar as the PM wants to utilize the services of
the Vice President in foreign affairs more often.
No
Number 2 in Modi Govt.
Union
Home Minister Amit Shah doesn’t mince words and is known for playing with a
straight bat. The other day when someone complimented him for being Number two
in the Modi government, he bluntly said, “There is no number two in the Modi
government. No one should remain under any illusion. There is number one only
and his name is PM Modi. We all work under Modi ji. We do as directed by number
one.” Amit Shah may have put the record straight but in the process Defense
Minister Rajnath Singh also got a signal who is presumed to be number two in
the hierarchy. Technically, Rajnath Singh is considered as number two as he
sits next to the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha. Even in Order of Precedence,
Rajnath Singh figures at number two in the list. But Amit Shah is considered to
be number two for all practical purposes. It seems Amit Shah has drawn lessons
in political history as whosoever was considered to be number two, never became
number 1, be it Babu Jagjivan Ram or Arun Nehru or L K Advani.
Modi's
search for a scientist
The
Modi government is known for taking more time in appointment of bureaucrats and
professionals in key posts leading to abnormal delays. The PM took almost three
years in filling posts in the Law Commission and other key institutions.
Another key feature of the Modi government is that it doesn't hesitate to
reverse orders in no time if something adverse is noticed. Modi also
experimented with bringing talent from outside the service cadre at various
levels to tone up the bureaucracy. But lately the process has slowed down as
'lateral entrants' are unable to deliver. Modi appointed them at the level of
Secretary, joint secretary and higher levels. A couple of them (Water Resources & Aayush) were put in the driver’s seat
also. But most of them are finding it difficult to override service
cadre personnel.
In order to shake the Public Sector Units, Modi appointed
Mallika Srinivasan, a successful entrepreneur, as chairperson of Public
Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) almost two years ago. The PESB is
responsible for appointing chairman and managing directors of all
PSUs. Though it has delivered some results, it's working at a
snail's pace.
It
is learnt that Modi is in desperate search of a domain expert to head the Food
Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). The post fell vacant one year
ago after Ms Rita Teotia (Retd IAS:1981, Gujarat cadre) completed her three
years term. Modi doesn't want a bureaucrat to be chairman of this vital body
and is looking for an expert scientist who has administrative capabilities as
well. An additional charge has been given to an IAS officer until a suitable
person for the task is found. The PMO surprised everyone when Dr M Srinivas was
appointed AIIMS new Director replacing Dr Randeep Guleria. Dr Srinivas's name
was not even short-listed by the selection committee. But Modi wanted a tough
administrator cum a competent professional.
