New Delhi: In a significant development, the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday night appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, currently India’s Ambassador to the US, the next Foreign Secretary, replacing Sujatha Singh with immediate effect.
The surprise announcement was made after a meeting of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sujatha Singh’s two-year tenure was to end in August this year. The government’s sudden administrative decision is likely to create a strong reaction within the Indian Foreign Service. Sujatha Singh enjoyed full backing of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who wanted her to stay on as foreign secretary.
Sujatha Singh – only the third woman diplomat to serve as foreign secretary – has not served at Indian missions in any of India’s neighbours.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar is seen as a bigger player on a larger stage and considered suitable to go along with Modi’s world view.
Jaishankar, who has previously been India’s ambassador to China and also joint secretary for the Americas in the ministry of external affairs, is seen as a sharp officer with an enviable record.
Son of the late K Subrahmanyam, who was known as the pioneer among thinkers in India, Jaishankar was rumoured to be Narendra Modi’s favourite to occupy the foreign secretary’s post since the Prime Minister took office in May.
Jaishankar has the appetite to take bold decisions and capable of out of box thinking. Before he moved to Washington, DC, Jaishankar served as ambassador in China and as high commissioner in Singapore.
From the Foreign Service’s 1978 batch, Jaishankar was considered the front-runner to succeed Ranjan Mathai as foreign secretary last year. Then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who valued his work on the India-US nuclear agreement, was willing to appoint him as foreign secretary, but reportedly succumbed to the pressure from his advisers and some senior Congress leaders.
Jaishankar would have retired from the IFS in January 2015 in due course, but Manmohan Singh extended the tenure of six IFS officers in August 2013 by two years which included Jaishankar who was then appointed India’s Ambassador to the US. Following the extension, Jaishankar is due to retire in December 2016. (With Inputs from agencies)