New Delhi: Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor will be in charge of Africa and the Arab world. This information did not come from the ministry but from Tharoor’s Twitter page which he updates whenever he gets time.
“First meeting with ministry of external affairs (MEA) minister SM Krishna, an eminent figure in Indian politics. I will be handling mainly Africa & Arab world,” Tharoor says in the post.
Earlier, Anand Sharma was in charge of Africa and South America, while E Ahmed focused on the Gulf.
“Took my oath as an MP today. First time in the Lok Sabha as a member. Wonderful. And generously warm greetings from Opposition leaders,” he says about his oath taking in Parliament.
Nothing is known yet about the other junior minister Preneet Kaur’s responsibilities as she is not on Twitter. While some of the ministries have one or two additional faces, for the MEA it is a complete overhaul and there are more changes in the offing. By the end of July, foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is also scheduled to retire.
All the three, including Krishna, are new to the job. While Tharoor has been a UN diplomat, his job in South Block will be totally different. Though Krishna may not have the experience of his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee, he is an astute politician and should do his job well. He is also one of the senior-most ministers and reportedly close to the Gandhis.
The prime minister’s office (PMO) always had a say in foreign affairs right from the days of Jawaharlal Nehru. It will be interesting to watch how relations between the PMO and the MEA pan out in the future.
In South Block, officials are trying to get a take on the new people. Many senior officials know Tharoor personally as they have interacted with him when he was India’s nominee for UN secretary general. Most think he will be able to present India’s case well to the rest of the world.
Preneet Kaur is another matter. Eyebrows were raised when she was appointed along with Tharoor and few claim to know much about her, except that her husband was former Congress chief minister Amarinder Singh. “Its too early to judge, we are waiting for the ministers to settle down,” an official said.
One task awaiting Krishna is to find a replacement for Menon. Topping the list of probables are Nalin Suri, secretary west and Nirupama Rao, now posted in Beijing as India’s ambassador.