N.K. Singh to be eased out?

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5. The Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, is reported to be getting ready to meet the criticism of extraordinary powers wielded by his aides in the PMO by sacrificing the Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Mr. N.K. Singh.

Mr. Singh will be accompanying the Prime Minister to Iran as that visit has a strong economic content. But after his return around mid-April, Mr. Singh's days in the PMO may be numbered, as his continuation there has been described as ``untenable.'' There is speculation that Mr. Singh might move over to the Planning Commission, possibly as a Member.

There was strong criticism of the PMO not only from the Opposition parties after the name of Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, figured in the Tehelka tapes, but also from the RSS which described the PM's aides as ``incompetent'' and stated that important Government decisions should be taken by the Union Cabinet, not by a few individuals in the PMO.

While it is known that the Prime Minister will not yield ground on Mr. Mishra, to silence criticism Mr. N.K. Singh may be sacrificed. This would also, to some extent, meet the criticism of the Government's economic policies strongly articulated by the Sangh Parivar. Even today, Mr. Dattopant Thengdi, RSS leader who heads the labour wing of the organisation, was fierce in his opposition to changes in the Export-Import policy and even the Budget of Mr. Yashwant Sinha which was described as ``anti- farmer.''

In case Mr. Singh is moved out of the PMO where he is on extension after his superannuation in January this year, other bureaucratic changes could follow. Indications are that either the Finance Secretary, Mr. Ajit Kumar, or the Revenue Secretary, Dr. S. Narayan, might replace Mr. Singh to look after economic affairs.

There were some indications too that the Telecom Secretary, Mr. Shymal Ghosh, might move to Gujarat as Chief Secretary since the new initiatives in the telecom sector have come in for criticism and Mr. Singh and Mr. Ghosh are said to be the prime movers behind them.

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Section  : National
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