Post-retirement post hunt

How important is the post of the Gymkhana Club’s president? It’s a top priority, at least for Army Chief J J Singh. In his way to the top of the Delhi Gymkhana is Air Marshall P S ‘Pudding’ Ahluwalia, and he is doing all he can to stall the airman’s campaign. Singh first told bureaucrats in South Block that Ahluwalia shouldn’t be given permission to contest the elections as he was a serving officer. He was politely reminded that if the Ministry had permitted him to do so, it couldn’t deny Ahluwalia the same privilege. It was at this juncture that Singh, it is believed, confronted Ahluwalia at a social function and asked him whether he would have stood against the Air Chief. Ahluwalia, undaunted by the senior officer, bluntly said Air Chief or Army Chief, he would never back out of the poll. A very annoyed Singh then got the Army media machine working overtime to declare to one and all that there has never been a contest between serving Armed Forces officers for the Gymkhana top job and if Ahluwalia respected tradition, he ought to step down. Meanwhile, Singh also has his eyes on another post. He is lobbying hard for an ambassadorship and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had even asked a reluctant MEA to dig out a post for the Army Chief who retires in October. But his utterances regarding civilian tourism in Siachen came at an awkward moment and insiders say Mukherjee has started questioning Singh’s ability to handle a diplomatic assignment after provoking a needless protest from Pakistan on the Siachen trek.