The list of hopefuls, to be finalised in the next few days, would include the names of former government officials and senior political leaders like ex-ministers Shivraj Patil and Santosh Mohan Deb.
Former foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is being tipped to take over as the new national security advisor after incumbent MK Narayanan’s likely appointment as governor of a leading state.
The list of hopefuls, to be finalised in the next few days, would include the names of former government officials and senior political leaders like ex-ministers Shivraj Patil and Santosh Mohan Deb. The Congress core committee will meet on Friday to vet the list.
Apart from Menon, the other name which figured prominently was that of former ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen. He is, however, reported to have politely declined the offer. Sen, who had ‘famously’ called Indian MPs opposing the nuclear deal ‘headless chicken’ in 2007, was also offered a gubernatorial assignment which he declined, stating that he had already served the government in various capacities for long.
Menon’s name gained favour as a sign of appreciation from the UPA leadership for having shouldered the blame for the Sharm-el-Sheikh diplomatic fiasco. Menon was also at the helm of affairs as foreign secretary when the Indo-US nuclear deal was navigated through choppy waters.
The UPA leadership has also decided to reward some of its senior leaders, mostly from the Congress, such as former home minister Shivraj Patil, whose Rajya Sabha term is about to end, and former Union minister Santosh Mohan Deb, who lost the Lok Sabha election, with gubernatorial positions.
Earlier, Mohsina Kidwai was sounded out but she declined the offer on the grounds that she wanted to remain in active politics. Her name had come up after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee made it known that she was in favour of a member of the minority community as governor of West Bengal.
Appointment of governors to West Bengal and Punjab & Haryana remains a contentious issue for different reasons. Cabinet ministers Ambika Sonia and Pawan Bansal, an MP from Chandigarh, had reportedly met prime minister Manmohan Singh and requested him to appoint a senior politician as governor of Punjab & Haryana in view of the controversy generated by existing governor SF Rodrigues’s alleged involvement in a land scandal.
Banerjee’s flip-flop attitude and the seriousness of the law and order situation in West Bengal has made the governor’s appointment to the state a tricky issue for the centre.
While Narayanan’s name is being mentioned in this context, Banerjee had reportedly tossed different names during the past few days with noted human right activist Rajendra Sachar being the latest in the list, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the term of Tamil Nadu governor SS Barnala is expiring shortly, while three other governors - Gopal Gandhi (West Bengal), Syed Sibte Razi (Assam) and SS Sidhu (Goa) -- have already finished their term.
The centre is also on the look out for a governor for Gujarat as Maharashtra governor SC Jamir is holding temporary charge of the state.
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