New Delhi
26 September 2006
Discontent among diplomats over the elevation of Mr Shiv Shankar
Menon as foreign secretary-designate has claimed two more casualties. India's High
Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri has followed her husband, Mr Rajiv Sikri, into
seeking premature retirement. The Indian envoy to France, Mr TCA Rangachari, is also
understood to have opted to step down.
A 1970-batch IFS officer, Ms Veena Sikri put in her papers after Mr Menon, who is two
years junior to her, was chosen to succeed Mr Shyam Saran as foreign secretary. Her
husband Rajiv Sikri, also a 1970-batch officer, has already quit beacuse of Mr Menon's
appointment.
Ms Sikri been camping in New Delhi ever since Mr Menon, a 1972-batch officer, was
appointed as the Foreign Secretary on August 31. Mr Menon, currently High
Commissioner to Pakistan, superceded about 15 officers for the top job in the Indian
Foreign Service.
Another senior officer TCA Rangachari, India's envoy to France, is also believed to have
expressed his disappointment over being superseded. Mr Rangachari is also of the
1970 batch. He is reported to have sought voluntary retirement from service although
officials in the Ministry refused to confirm or deny.
Among the IFS officers Mr Menon superseded are Secretary (West) Shashi U Tripathi and
Secretary (East) Rajiv Sikri. Tripathi and Sikri are officers of the 1970 batch of IFS. Others
senior to Menon are TCA Rangachari, Atish Sinha, PS Haer and Arun Kumar (all from the
1970 batch) and Veena Sikri, SS Mukherjee, Navrekha Sharma, Amitabh Tripathi and
Parthasarathy Ray (all belonging to the 1971 batch). Menon will have a nearly three-year
tenure at the helm of the foreign service.
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