On Monday, when senior bureaucrat LC Goyal was abruptly removed as home secretary and replaced by finance secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, there was word in political circles that the change was ordered directly by the Prime Minister’s Office, disregarding Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s views. It was said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unhappy with Goyal because the officer was not following the PMO’s directions.
But late at night, Rajnath Singh’s associates made a series of phone calls to newspaper organisations to put the record straight. It was pointed out that contrary to media reports, the home minister was party to this decision and that the new appointment was agreed upon by both Modi and Singh.
Whatever the case, these reports only point to the unusual relation between Modi and his home minister, which has been the subject of animated discussion since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power last year.
Although officially designated as number two in the government’s pecking order, Singh was essentially marginalised in the ruling alliance while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah were widely acknowledged to be Modi’s key confidantes.
Modi's tactical retreat
However, relations between Modi and Singh have undergone a change over the past few months. While there are sufficient indications that the prime minister is now depending more often on the home minister for his political troubleshooting, Singh is still an outsider in the Modi-Shah-Jaitley exclusive club. The appointment of finance secretary Rajiv Mehrishi as the new home secretary confirms again that Jaitley remains a key figure in the ruling alliance.
On his part, Singh has deliberately maintained a low profile. He is not known to speak out of turn and usually measures his words carefully. However, he did assert himself when the capital was rife with rumours that Modi had ticked off the home minister’s son for inappropriate conduct. Singh took everybody by surprise when he forced an open confrontation on this issue, forcing the PMO to issue a denial.
Modi has been wary of Singh after that episode as he realised that the Thakur from Uttar Pradesh is no pushover given his long stint in politics and his close association with the BJP’s mother organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
In what is being perceived as a tactical retreat, Modi has been giving more space to Singh over the past several months and has even leaned on him to handle tricky situations.
Firefighter in government
The prime minister first deputed the home minister to defuse the crisis over the controversial land acquisition bill in the last budget session. Singh was deputed to talk to farmers’ organisations who were opposing the amendments introduced by the NDA government to the 2013 Land Act. He was picked for this task because he had established a rapport with these groups when he was agriculture minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. Moreover, it was felt that Singh’s credentials as a kisan leader would help convince the farmers that the amended land bill was in their interest.
Again it was Singh who stepped in to douse the political fires when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were in trouble when the Lalit Modi controversy and the Vyapam scam hit the headlines.
Not only did Singh telephone Swaraj to assure her that he stood by her, he was also instrumental in persuading Jaitley to address a joint press conference with him where the finance minister came out in open support of Swaraj.
The media interaction was preceded by a meeting between Jaitley and Swaraj in the home minister’s office which helped broker peace between his two colleagues who are not known to be on the best of terms.
Left in the dark
Similarly, it was Singh who first publicly defended the Madhya Pradesh chief minister in line with the stand finalised by Modi and Shah. Again, it was Singh who helped end the face-off with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over official appointments.
In another unusual move, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has been in regular touch with the home minister. He had called on Singh for a briefing on the eve of the aborted NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan. Singh was asked by the prime minister to convene a meeting with the NSA and the defence and external affairs ministers to take stock of the situation when Pakistan began firing across the border.
While it appears that Modi is turning to Singh for help when the government faces a crisis, making the home minister an insider, this perception is often belied by other developments. For instance, the home ministry was kept in the dark about the peace accord signed recently between the Centre and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) which was touted by the prime minister as a game changer in trouble-torn Nagaland.
In fact, it was former home secretary’s open admission that they were unaware of the details of this peace pact which riled the Prime Minister’s Office and was one of the chief factors for his sudden exit from the high-profile post. And despite strenuous denials by the home minister’s camp, there are few takers for its version that Singh was in agreement with Modi’s decision to replace Goyal with Mehrishi.
The unfolding developments over the months suggest that though Rajnath Singh is no longer on the margins, he is yet to become a Modi confidant.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
But late at night, Rajnath Singh’s associates made a series of phone calls to newspaper organisations to put the record straight. It was pointed out that contrary to media reports, the home minister was party to this decision and that the new appointment was agreed upon by both Modi and Singh.
Whatever the case, these reports only point to the unusual relation between Modi and his home minister, which has been the subject of animated discussion since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power last year.
Although officially designated as number two in the government’s pecking order, Singh was essentially marginalised in the ruling alliance while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah were widely acknowledged to be Modi’s key confidantes.
Modi's tactical retreat
However, relations between Modi and Singh have undergone a change over the past few months. While there are sufficient indications that the prime minister is now depending more often on the home minister for his political troubleshooting, Singh is still an outsider in the Modi-Shah-Jaitley exclusive club. The appointment of finance secretary Rajiv Mehrishi as the new home secretary confirms again that Jaitley remains a key figure in the ruling alliance.
On his part, Singh has deliberately maintained a low profile. He is not known to speak out of turn and usually measures his words carefully. However, he did assert himself when the capital was rife with rumours that Modi had ticked off the home minister’s son for inappropriate conduct. Singh took everybody by surprise when he forced an open confrontation on this issue, forcing the PMO to issue a denial.
Modi has been wary of Singh after that episode as he realised that the Thakur from Uttar Pradesh is no pushover given his long stint in politics and his close association with the BJP’s mother organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
In what is being perceived as a tactical retreat, Modi has been giving more space to Singh over the past several months and has even leaned on him to handle tricky situations.
Firefighter in government
The prime minister first deputed the home minister to defuse the crisis over the controversial land acquisition bill in the last budget session. Singh was deputed to talk to farmers’ organisations who were opposing the amendments introduced by the NDA government to the 2013 Land Act. He was picked for this task because he had established a rapport with these groups when he was agriculture minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. Moreover, it was felt that Singh’s credentials as a kisan leader would help convince the farmers that the amended land bill was in their interest.
Again it was Singh who stepped in to douse the political fires when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were in trouble when the Lalit Modi controversy and the Vyapam scam hit the headlines.
Not only did Singh telephone Swaraj to assure her that he stood by her, he was also instrumental in persuading Jaitley to address a joint press conference with him where the finance minister came out in open support of Swaraj.
The media interaction was preceded by a meeting between Jaitley and Swaraj in the home minister’s office which helped broker peace between his two colleagues who are not known to be on the best of terms.
Left in the dark
Similarly, it was Singh who first publicly defended the Madhya Pradesh chief minister in line with the stand finalised by Modi and Shah. Again, it was Singh who helped end the face-off with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over official appointments.
In another unusual move, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has been in regular touch with the home minister. He had called on Singh for a briefing on the eve of the aborted NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan. Singh was asked by the prime minister to convene a meeting with the NSA and the defence and external affairs ministers to take stock of the situation when Pakistan began firing across the border.
While it appears that Modi is turning to Singh for help when the government faces a crisis, making the home minister an insider, this perception is often belied by other developments. For instance, the home ministry was kept in the dark about the peace accord signed recently between the Centre and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) which was touted by the prime minister as a game changer in trouble-torn Nagaland.
In fact, it was former home secretary’s open admission that they were unaware of the details of this peace pact which riled the Prime Minister’s Office and was one of the chief factors for his sudden exit from the high-profile post. And despite strenuous denials by the home minister’s camp, there are few takers for its version that Singh was in agreement with Modi’s decision to replace Goyal with Mehrishi.
The unfolding developments over the months suggest that though Rajnath Singh is no longer on the margins, he is yet to become a Modi confidant.