Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi may be holding his cards on government formation close to his 56-inch chest, but that hasn’t stopped senior bureaucrats from lobbying for the coveted posts in the new dispensation.
The race for Cabinet Secretary—the pinnacle an IAS officer can aspire for—is already on with senior officers throwing their hats into the ring. “It’s a mere `10,000 difference in salary, but to become the most powerful officer in the country is the secret dream of every IAS officer,” a senior officer told The Sunday Standard.
And if the chatter in the power corridors is anything to go by, then Sutanu Behuria—a Himachal Pradesh cadre officer of the 1976 batch—is leading the race. At present Secretary of Heavy Industries, Behuria will be the senior-most IAS officer when current Cabinet Secretary Ajit K Seth retires on June 13.
Behuria, a former Minority Affairs Secretary, has an excellent track record, especially as Special Secretary in the Commerce Ministry. He single-handedly manoeuvred the Fertiliser Ministry when DMK leader M K Alagiri, who rarely was in Delhi, was in charge. “If the new government decides to respect bureaucratic seniority, then Behuria would be Cabinet Secretary. His exemplary profile should also work in his favour,” said a 1978 batch officer.
Another senior officer also supported Behuria, who belongs to a family of high profile bureaucrats from Odisha, as front runner. “He has goodwill across the political spectrum and is known as an earnest official,” said an official in the DoPT. Behuria has also worked with the Vajpayee-led BJP government from 2000 to 2003 as Joint Secretary in the Coal Ministry.
However, according to some sources, his family roots may upset his chances. His elder brother Siddharth Behuria, a former Telecom Secretary, was arrested along with A Raja in the ` 1.76 lakh crore 2G spectrum scam. Also the fact that Behuria is to retire on July 31, 2014 may work against him.
If something “goes wrong” for Behuria and the new government decides to stick to seniority, then the onus may fall on Bihar Chief Secretary Alok K Sinha, the only other 1976 batch IAS who is to retire. However, fellow bureaucrats say his chances are slim because of his proximity to former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Again going by seniority, the names of current Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Naved Masood of the 1977 batch, Javed Usmani, Chief Secretary Uttar Pradesh and Water Resources Secretary Alok Rawat are doing the rounds. “All are good officers in their own right and if the PM wants to have a Muslim face to push his secular credentials, then the first two have a better chance,” said the DoPT official.
There are also talks that Modi may choose a woman IAS officer for the top post to create history of sorts as no woman has become Cabinet Secretary yet. If that is the case, then the chosen ones may be Vilasini Ramachandran or Sangita Gairola—both from the 1977 batch. Ramachandran, with strong experience in Finance Ministry, is now Drinking Water Secretary and Gairola from Rajasthan is Secretary for Culture.
“Gairola was a powerful joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for five years in her favour,” said a source.
But above all, much depends on a 1979 batch retired IAS officer of Tamil–Kerala background. Kuniyil Kailasnathan—better known as KK in power circles—is Chief Principal Secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister. KK who has worked closely with Modi for almost a decade, will be assisting Modi in Delhi “to generate Kartavya Bhavna among public servants”.
Though Kailasnathan retired as Additional Chief Secretary of Gujarat in May 2013, he was re-employed in chief minister’s officer as Chief Principal Secretary to CM. A postgraduate in chemistry from Madras University, and then an MA in economics from University of Wales, Kailashnathan held a number of key infrastructure positions in Gujarat. He was instrumental in privatisation of ports and also played a key role in setting up the drinking water pipeline grid in Gujarat.
“Much, if not everything, depends on KK. Officers of Gujarat cadre and those from his homes state are busy sending feelers to him,” revealed a senior official of the Kerala cadre.
The grapevine has it that Modi may opt for an IAS officer much junior to Kailasnathan for the post of Cabinet Secretary so that there is no seniority issue between the two most powerful bureaucrats in his government.
“I know many senior officials who are busy polishing their resumes to impress KK and Modi. In their report to the PMO, they have claimed that they would have done wonders in their respective ministries if they were given a free hand,” said a senior official who has decided to step out of the race as he is not sure whether he would fit into “KK’s style of functioning.”
According to this officer, several officials are busy singing praises of NaMo and KK through Twitter and Facebook. Several senior officials have tweeted in praise of the “decisive victory” of NaMo. And this includes senior officials like Vishnu Prakash, IFS, India’s ambassador to South Korea, DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant, IAS, and Alex Paul Menon, IAS.
Amidst this race for the senior-most post, some junior officials belonging to ministries likely to be dismantled or merged including the Minority Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Social Justice are also busy scouting for safer spots.