Suspense continues over appointment of CM Khattar’s aides

Suspense over the appointments of aides of the new Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar continued on Tuesday with all kinds of speculations doing the rounds.

Suspense over the appointments of aides of the new Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar continued on Tuesday with all kinds of speculations doing the rounds.

The chief minister has surprised everyone by not appointing any officer – IAS or HCS -- in the chief minister’s office (CMO) even after being sworn in on Sunday.

Since the principal secretary to the chief minister (PSCM) or a similarly positioned officer facilitates the functioning of the chief minister, the priority of a newly sworn chief minister is to choose his PSCM right away after taking charge.

In Khattar’s case, this has not happened and the lull is setting of fall kinds of theories.
Some BJP leaders claiming to be close to the chief minister have been speaking about Khattar’s sup-posed intent to bring in some Gujarat-cadre IAS officers for the CMO on inter-cadre deputation.
The guesswork going on in the cor ridors of power included the names of a 1986 batch IAS officer, a 1989 batch woman IAS officer, a 1997 batch IAS officer and a 2001 IAS batch officer who has worked as the aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister.

“The first requirement for inter-cadre deputation is the consent of the officer concerned.
Has it been taken,’’ questioned a Haryana officer.

Khattar’s decision to continue with the two PSCMs of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda may be a stop-gap arrangement.

But, it shows the new chief minister seems to have more faith in experienced hands than certain selfstyled novices posing his self styled ends .