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Menon emerges as front runner for NSA job | With National Security Advisor MK Narayanan all set to move out from the PMO to West Bengal Raj Bhawan, Shiv Shankar Menon who retired as the Foreign Secretary last year is emerging as a frontrunner for the coveted post. Other contenders for the NSA’s post are
former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, who is currently serving as PM’s special
envoy on Climate Change and seasoned diplomat Ronen Sen . It is learnt that Menon
is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 's first choice, but final decision on who will
hold this key position, which currently deals with the internal security and foreign
policy at the same is yet to be taken after consultation with political leadership.
PMO insiders say that his out of the box thinking, astute understanding on neighborhood
issues and moreover his rapport with the leadership of Pakistan and China is giving
Menon an edge over others. Shiv Shankar Menon 's elevation to the position of
Foreign Secretary by jumping the ladder of 12 postions in 2006 surprised everyone
and even led to the resignation eminent diplomat Rajeev Sikri , who was considered
the main contender for the post. Menon, who is also known for being a longest
serving Foreign Secretary, has remained a key negotiator in the controversial
Indo-US nuclear deal and architect of Joint Anti terror mechanism which later
proved flawed and lastly he also hogged headlines for bad rafting of a joint statement
at Sharm-al-Shiekh. Controversies followed Menon, but seasoned diplomat proved
that he is not just a text book or theoretical civil servant who will stick to
a line, but is willing to do some out of the box thinking and step out an extra
mile . Menon has done successful tenures in Pakistan and China and is a well respected
name among the leadership and the bureaucracy of the two countries. Although India
’s relations with China and Pakistan did not remain best, Menon kept the backchannels
alive Menon's innovative might not have reaped the required results, but his style
seems to have impressed the Prime Minister. Insiders also believe that Menon's
arrival in the PMO could alter the periphery of the NSA as he would be purely
focusing on India's security concerns vis-à-vis international developments and
fine tune the foreign policy in accordance whereas internal security will be under
the total control of Home Ministry already. With the Intelligence Bureau and the
Research and Analysis Wing chiefs directly reporting to the Home Minister, speculation
is rife that the Home Ministry will strengthen the department of internal security. |
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