New Delhi, August 1
A bizarre development took place yesterday, perhaps for the first time in the history of independent India: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee called on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in Rashtrapti Bhavan but the event went unreported.
The reason: there was no responsible official in Rashtrapati Bhavan for preparing the press note about the meeting.
Five senior officials of Rashtrapati Bhavan were retired or posted elsewhere yesterday, well-placed sources told The Tribune today.
The ousted Rashtrapati Bhavan officials are: Mr S.N. Sahu, Press Secretary to the President; Mr P.P. Kaushik, OSD (Hindi); Mr V. Ayya Swamy and Mr K.C. Jayarajan, both Personal Secretary to President; and Mr S.K. Aggarwal, Director.
Mr Sahu has been sent back to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, from where he came. Mr Kaushik has also been sent back to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. As OSD (Hindi), he was entrusted with the task of translating the President’s speeches into Hindi.
Mr V. Ayya Swamy was the oldest official of Rashtrapati Bhavan. This 70-plus official was with Mr R. Venkataraman and also with his successor, Mr K.R. Narayanan. His services have been terminated but at the same time he has been retained for another three months in view of his vast experience and for reasons of continuity.
Mr Jayarajan, who was the other Press Secretary to the President, has been attached to former President K.R. Narayanan and thus, he will remain a staffer of
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Interestingly, the five officials were appointed by Mr K.R. Narayanan, who completed his term as President on July 25.
Yesterday’s meeting between the President and the Prime Minister was reported by Rashtrapati Bhavan today, though it took place at 8 PM. President Kalam’s new Press Secretary Mr G. Sivakumar issued a four-line press note this evening in which he mentioned that “various national aspects were discussed at the meeting which lasted 30 minutes.”
