Govt ropes in Rajiv aide Arun Singh

NEW DELHI, JULY 1: Former minister of state for Defence in the Rajiv Gandhi Government, Arun Singh, was today appointed Special Executive...

NEW DELHI, JULY 1: Former minister of state for Defence in the Rajiv Gandhi Government, Arun Singh, was today appointed Special Executive Assistant to External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

Confirming the appointment, Jaswant Singh told The Indian Express that the former minister, whom he has personally known for years, had in the wake of Pakistan8217;s aggression into Indian territory, offered his services to the Government to 8220;work in any capacity8221;.

8220;I have exploited his sense of nationalism and he8217;s now working with me on a token salary of one rupee a month,8221; Singh said.

Arun Singh, widely believed as the 8220;man who knew too much8221; on the Bofors gun deal, preferred to quit his job when the Bofors contract began to unravel on allegations of kickbacks to the Rajiv Gandhi family.

Ironically, it is the same Bofors 155-mm gun that is being used with unerring effect in the current conflict against Pakistan at the LoC.

A schoolfriend of Gandhi, Arun Singh was inducted into Rajiv8217;s Cabinet as a rank outsider he was a corporate executive, but grew to be widely regarded as one of the best Defence Ministers India ever had. Since his resignation in June 1987, he has been living as a recluse in the Himalayan foothills. He was not available for comment today.

The nature of Arun Singh8217;s new job is expected to cover the grey, overlapping areas between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, and will last the 8220;duration of the crisis.8221;

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Jaswant Singh characterised it as the 8220;management of crisis. We have naturally been working in an integrated manner on the Kargil conflict. With Arun Singh8217;s appointment we will work together on preparing assessments and action papers on various situations.8221;

Arun Singh8217;s appointment is a virtual coup for the BJP Government, since in his last incarnation, he was a Congress minister. However, he headed the Arun Singh Committee on Defence Expenditure and made recommendations to the V P Singh Government.