Menon, Saran in race for next NSA as Narayanan is set to exit

Seasoned diplomats Shiv Shankar Menon and Shyam Saran are stated to be among the top contenders for the post of the National security Advisor (NSA). There are strong indications that the incumbent M. K. Narayanan, is on his way out. He is tipped to take over as Governor of West Bengal.

Narayanan’s experience as NSA and former Director of Intelligence Bureau, is seen as useful in the Raj Bhawan in Kolkata. The CPM-ruled state is involved in a challenging fight with the Maoists, who seem to be enjoying the backing of the youth and even writers and the intellectual class.

Narayanan’s new posting could herald a series of more appointments as Governors in some states before Republic Day on January 26, so that they can take salute at the parades in the State Capitals. There are vacancies in Raj Bhawans of Andhra, Rajasthan, Assam and Chhattisgarh. Maharashtra and Punjab governors have also completed their terms and could be replaced. Shivraj Patil, Mohsina Kidwai and Arjun Singh may be among the new appointments.

Former deputy NSA Shekhar Dutt is also in the fray to go to a Raj Bhawan. The Congress has to accommodate Santosh Mahon Dev who could not find a slot in the second UPA’s council of ministers. Former Home Secretary K Padmanabhaiah too is being considered for a Governor’s post.

The name of former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen, has also been floated for the post of NSA. Both Menon and Sen were closely associated with the formalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, the follow-up on which is among the NSA’s responsibilities. Sen supposedly enjoys the personal trust of both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He was made ambassador to Washington soon after the UPA came to power in 2004, and was asked by Singh to stay on as envoy beyond his term specifically in order to see his favourite project — the Indo-US nuclear deal — through. Sen returned home at the expiry of his extended Washington assignment in early April and has been in low-profile retirement since.

Menon was caught in a controversy over drafting flaws in the Indo-Pak statement at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, which led to opposition charges of a “surrender” to Pakistan on the issue of holding talks without any credible action from Islamabad over the Mumbai terror attacks.

However, he served with distinction as India’s envoy to China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — portfolios the new NSA is likely to oversee in the PMO —before taking over as foreign secretary upon his return.

Currently the PM’s special envoy on climate change, Shyam Saran had an impressive stint as foreign secretary. His appointment will bring in a professional diplomat, with more than three decades of experience in international affairs. However, he lacks any experience of handling internal security (which was Narayanan's forte) and terrorism.

The UPA’s first NSA was J. N. Dixit, whose death in January 2005 saw Narayanan, then Internal Security Advisor in the PM’ Office, handling foreign policy issues including India-China boundary talks.

After the 26/11 terror strikes on Mumbai, Narayanan had come under attack. The obvious failure of security -- internal as well as external -- during the daring attack by the terrorists had weakened his position. Sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intends to give Chidambaram complete freedom to revamp the internal security. Since Chidambaram took over as Home Minister last winter, Narayanan’s influence as an internal security expert appeared to have steadily shrunk. Chidambaram has become a powerful and assertive Home Minister, leading the work agenda on everything from counter-terrorism to the Naxalite challenge.

His “New Architecture of Security” proposes changes in the reporting lines of agencies, including those accountable to NSA, under the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.

Meanwhile, the first review of the UPA ministers undertaken by the Prime Minister is stated to be complete. A reshuffle of portfolios is likely soon. The reshuffle may pertain to an organizational rejig. Currently, some senior Congress leaders like Prithviraj Chavan, Veerappa Moily and Ghulam Nabi Azad hold dual responsibility in the party as well as in the government.

The party might ask them to make a choice between the two. The biggest ally of the Congress, in the second UPA — the Trinamool Congress — may also bag another ministerial berth in Manmohan Singh’s council of ministers. At present, it has one Cabinet post and six Minister of State berths.

- Asian Tribune -