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THE NATION:
PMO
The
'Overconfident'
Yet
there is a growing perception that Mishra has become, as one official
quips, "overconfidant". It was Subrahmanyam who, during a recent
lecture at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, launched a
broadside against Mishra for continuing to hold additional charge as the
national security adviser (NSA). The powerful post was created by the
Union Cabinet in the aftermath of the 1998 nuclear tests as part of a
three-tier national security apparatus to formulate and execute government
policy on the subject. According to Subrahmanyam, who is convener of the
National Security Advisory Board, "It is difficult to do justice
to both the responsibilities of the post of principal secretary to the
prime minister and the NSA." The defence expert, who chaired the
Kargil Committee, had also made a similar point in his report to the Government.
As the one-man,
one-post controversy grew, Mishra's supporters clarified that the NSA
had to enjoy the complete confidence of the prime minister and that till
India's nuclear weapons programme matured the principal secretary was
best positioned to hold the post. Vajpayee had meanwhile referred the
issue along with others to a group of ministers that included Home Minister
L.K. Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes to work out the best
option. Mishra appeared to pre-empt the decision by giving an interview
to a TV channel in which he stated that he believed the two jobs should
remain with one person (meaning him) for at least another "year or
two". Mishra declined to comment on these issues when INDIA TODAY
approached him.
The slanging
match got nastier with Subrahmanyam being accused of having an eye for
the post for himself. Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh's name was also dragged
in with a section stating he was keen that Arun Singh, the former minister
of state for defence and currently security adviser to the MEA, be chosen
for the post.
There had
always been a certain amount of tension in the relations between Jaswant
and Mishra. This tension had a historical reason because when Vajpayee
formed his Government in March 1998, Jaswant was originally tipped to
be finance minister. It was believed then that Mishra wanted to keep the
external affairs portfolio under Vajpayee so that he could dictate policy.
But the RSS ensured that Jaswant was not given the finance portfolio.
When he was inducted as foreign minister months after the nuclear tests,
Mishra was seen to upstage him on many occasions and was regarded as a
parallel authority in the MEA. It didn't help that while Jaswant was suave
and diplomatic in meetings chaired by the prime minister to discuss foreign
policy, Mishra would be blunt and almost disparaging of him. Of late,
however, it was believed that the differences between the two were history.
But the NSA issue triggered fresh speculation that the foreign minister
wanted to have Mishra's wings clipped.
Meanwhile,
experts are also divided on whether the two posts of principal secretary
and NSA should be separated. B.G. Deshmukh, principal secretary to both
Rajiv Gandhi and V.P. Singh when they were prime ministers, is clear:
"If security is really important then the NSA post deserves a full-time
person." Others are, however, not that sure. Amitabh Mattoo, associate
professor at JNU's School for International Studies, feels that Mishra
is doing his job as NSA quite well. According to him, "The question
should be reversed. Is his preoccupation with foreign policy and security
issues coming in the way of his duties as principal secretary?"
This is
an area where Mishra is increasingly facing a lot of criticism. The frequent
and sometimes ill-advised reshuffling of bureaucrats has led to demoralisation
in their ranks. The most recent instance was the furore over the shifting
of key secretaries in the Finance Ministry which saw one of them, E.A.S.
Sarma, quitting in disgust. Also, though Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha
had apparently wanted a change of guard, his pique was that he was not
consulted on who should replace them. There is a feeling that Mishra's
lack of expertise on economic affairs makes him rely completely on the
advice of N.K. Singh, a former finance secretary who is now a secretary
in the PMO. Singh is said to have been behind the selection of key bureaucrats
including that of Ajit Kumar as finance secretary, which supposedly was
done without the consent or knowledge of Sinha. Resentment against Mishra
from within the bureaucracy is also growing because he is among the few
non-IAS officers to hold the post of principal secretary and is not, as
one official puts it, "our man".
Mishra is
also criticised for acting as a lone ranger in the Kashmir initiative,
especially the short-lived July cease-fire. Much of it though is unwarranted.
Several senior Home Ministry officials and the army brass complained that
they were completely in the dark over the move to hold talks with the
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and cited that as one of the reasons why the initiative
failed.
But Home
Ministry sources clarify that Advani had been informed in advance on the
talks offer and that senior officials were deliberately kept out till
it was absolutely necessary for them to know. Mishra's critics argue that
Advani himself was brought much later into the loop after negotiations
had reached an advanced stage. Earlier in December 1998, Mishra began
on the wrong foot with Advani when the PMO appointed Asha Das as secretary
of the Official Languages Department in the Home Ministry without consulting
the powerful home minister.
Mishra's
high profile style and frequent TV appearances have also been attacked
by a section of the BJP. Many see the mounting criticism against Mishra
as part of a proxy battle to get at Vajpayee. Barring a few cabinet ministers,
there are very few who dare cross check with the prime minister on decisions
concerning their ministry and per force have to deal with the principal
secretary. Mishra's brusque manner and arrogant demeanour haven't helped
and brought him an avoidable crop of enemies. There is also concern among
some senior officials that Mishra tends to wield a "monopolistic
control" over access to the prime minister. They believe that Vajpayee
is being deprived of the much needed variety in advice, leading to a certain
amount of isolation.
Meanwhile,
much to Mishra's discomfiture, former BJP MP and Jain TV President J.K.
Jain has blamed the principal secretary of allegedly thwarting his expansion
plans by falsely branding him an ISI agent. On his channel there is a
promo that daily promises to expose Mishra's "black deeds" though
curiously the date of the programme has not been announced.
The real
problem for Mishra, however, is not Jain's unsubstantiated charges but
countering criticism on both the NSA front and the growing resentment
among the bureaucracy and certain sections of the ruling BJP against his
style of functioning. Yet, as his adversaries have learnt, it would be
dangerous to underestimate the tenacity of Mishra or his ability to fight
back.
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METRO TODAY
Ayodhya
is an issue that is pre-determined. And it matters little in the present
fuss that the foremost casualty is the truth, writes INDIA TODAY Deputy
Editor Swapan Dasgupta in 