Cold War hots up over Kargil report

Tensions have only been aggravated with the curious appointment of Arun Singh in the MEA as Jaswant Singh’s advisor on security affairs.

At the heart of the tussle is the Committee’s suggestion to bifurcate the posts of Principal Secretary and National Security Advisor. “The Committee believes that there must be a full-time National Security Advisor and it would suggest that a second line of personnel be inducted into the system as early as possible and groomed for higher responsiblity,” the report stated in an unexpected blow to Mishra whose first love is security issues.

As NSA, Mishra has reigned supreme in this field, setting up the National Security Council, choosing the members of the now-defunct National Security Advisory Board and having a decisive say in the framing of the country’s nuclear doctrine.

The reconstitution of the NSAB is believed to have been held up largely because of the unpleasantness that the bifurcation recommendation has caused.

The decision on splitting the posts rests with the Prime Minister and those who know him feel that he would not like to do anything which could be interpreted as clipping the wings of one of his most trusted aides. But the suggestion has paved the way for lobbying by interested parties.

In fact, Arun Singh’s reinduction into the MEA at this stage is seen in government circles as a surreptitious attempt to groom him for the post of NSA.

As subtle pressure mounts on the PM, Mishra has managed to get a breather to try and protect his besieged turf. The Government has set up a Group of Ministers to sift through all the suggestions of the Kargil Report and given it six months to submit its views.

The loser in the ongoing tussle appears to be Fernandes who has been steadily squeezed out of the decision-making loop on security affairs. The clearest indication of his marginalisation is the appointment of Arun Singh as head of the task force on higher defence management, including manpower planning and military procurements. Arun Singh was clearly Jaswant’s choice and Fernandes could do little but agree, given Arun’s known expertise in the field.

He struck back, however, and helped to thwart Jaswant Singh’s reported ambition to put Arun Singh in charge of all the four task forces that have been constituted as suggested by the Kargil Review Committee Report. The other three are headed now by former Principal Secretary N N Vohra, J&K Governor G C Saxena and former Home Secretary Madhav Godbole.

In all this, the Kargil Report has become everyone’s baby with each lobby showing proprietorial interest in it. As Defence Minister, George announced the formation of the GOM in Parliament. But the paperwork was done by Jaswant Singh who put up the requisite note to the PM. The move raised a storm in the Government with both Mishra and George protesting at what they considered unwarranted encroachment into their turf.

Curiously, the note went to the PM while Mishra was abroad, which only heightened prevailing tensions.