Both Narayanan and Tharoor on way out?

Prashun Bhaumik |

By Sanjiv Acharya

When one slips will the other fall? With the decline in the power graph of national security advisor, MK Narayanan, there is much speculation that his protégé Shashi Tharoor, the minister of state for external affairs, will find it difficult to survive on the slippery political slope.

While Narayanan continues to be very close to the Gandhi family there were many in the government and the Congress party who privately criticized his influence on many decisions and interference in transfers and postings. Senior Congress leaders were unhappy but also helpless as Narayanan enjoyed the confidence of prime minister, Manmohan Singh as well as party president Sonia Gandhi.  So when Narayanan supported Tharoor’s bid for the MoS position, even though he was a first time parliamentarian and new to both Congress and politics, many eyebrows were raised but lips remained sealed.

Now it transpires that it was home minister P Chidambaram who was given the responsibility of curbing Narayanan’s influence. It is well known that Chidambaram is the most trusted of all union ministers at 10 Janpath. Pranab Mukhrejee is the effective number two in the government after the PM, but Chidambaram is the number one choice of the Gandhi family after Manmohan Singh.

Chidambaram proposed Narayanan’s name as governor of Bengal and he also convinced Narayanan that after the formation of the National Security Council the role of the NSA would be diminished so it would be better to accept a gubernatorial post. In fact, the buzz is that at a function on the occasion of Army Day, Narayanan was overheard saying, “this man doesn’t like me to continue as NSA. That’s why I may take up governorship.”

With all this, Tharoor has become vulnerable to his critis who say that he has misused his position to get the many embassies and high commissions to purchase his book and that the matter is already in the knowledge of the prime minister.

With his mentor out of the PMO, it is possible that Tharoor too may be on his way out.

Just for your information, once Mamata Banerjee gives her consent for Narayanan as governor of Bengal the two names being considered for the post of NSA are Shivshankar Menon and Shyam Saran.