NEW DELHI: Two months after the position of Indian High Commissioner to the UK fell vacant, an official announcement on the new envoy is believed to be around the corner. “It has been finalised. It will probably be announced next week,” said a senior MEA official.
The favourite so far is Indian Foreign Service of 1976 batch Pavan K Verma, the Indian envoy to Bhutan and former director general of Indian Council for Cultural Relations. “It was felt in some circles that he was perhaps too close to the BJP. But he has reportedly built excellent rapport with 10 Janpath,” said a source. Current ICCR President Karan Singh, who is known to be close to the Gandhi family, was reportedly lobbying on behalf of his former subordinate. Varma has some formidable competition, however, both from within the service and outside. There had been a long-standing buzz about former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla looking for a job at India House. His wife Rupika Chawla is said to have become a good friend of Sonia Gandhi, after they attended art preservation courses together. For the scam-battered UPA, Chawla could be too controversial a candidate, given past allegations about his closeness to the Congress.
Another ‘outsider’ who had reportedly thrown his hat in the ring was Special Protection Group chief Bharat Vir Wanchoo, a 1976 batch IPS officer. “But, I don’t think it was a serious attempt,” said the MEA official. The other IFS officer in contention was Pavan Varma’s batchmate Sujatha Singh, now the ambassador to Australia. A German speaker, she is also well-connected, as the daughter of former governor of Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal T V Rajeshwar, who had retired as the Intelligence Bureau chief in 1983. He husband is Sanjay Singh, currently Secretary (East) in the MEA. “But, its more or less certain now, that she is going to be next ambassador to Germany,” said an official. Sudhir Vyas, the previous Indian envoy to Berlin, is the new Secretary (Economic Relations), after the superannuation of Manbir Singh on September 30. Former Indian envoy to Mauritius, Madhusudhan Ganpathi is also a new entrant as Secretary (West), taking over his retiring 1974 batchmate Vivek Katju last month. With Ranjan Mathai taking over as foreign secretary from August, there has been a number of new faces at key foreign postings. Former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao went to Washington, while former Indian envoy to Nepal Rakesh Sood moved to Paris – in place of Mathai.
Jayant Prasad was sent to Kathmandu, while his post at headquarters, Special Secretary (Public Diplomacy) was filled in by Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, who was earlier in Bangkok and Dhaka.