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The Old Order Changeth...

Several governors and top bureaucrats are on tenterhooks as the new BJP government is likely to go in for a major reshuffle after the vote of confidence.

The deputy chairman and members of the Planning Commission have already submitted their resignations. The attorney general, the solicitor-general and the three additional solicitor-generals, too, will be replaced as per the convention.

Though Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has taken a very liberal approach and is trying to accommodate everyone, the BJP think-tank, along with RSS hardliners, are of the opinion that there should be a purge, and like-minded people should be posted in the government in good numbers. The BJP (formerly the Jan Sangh), they feel, have captured power after 50 years of Independence -- it should not ignore supporters who have been waiting for decades to rule New Delhi.

Though P V Narasimha Rao set a new precedent by not recalling the governors after the change of government, the BJP leaders are in favour of changing most of them. Its coalition partners are also of similar opinion. Six governors are presently serving as daily-wagers, as the crisis-driven United Front could find little time to either formally extend their tenure or appoint new ones. They are P C Alexander (Maharashtra), Mohammad Safi Qureshi (Madhya Pradesh), K Raghunath Reddy (West Bengal), A R Kidwai (Bihar), O N Srivastava (Nagaland) and Mata Prasad (Arunachal Pradesh).

The BJP's Suraj Bhan is lobbying hard to be the Uttar Pradesh governor. The Vajpayee government would have sacked Romesh Bhandari had the latter not resigned. Now Gujarat Governor K P Singh is also on the hit-list as he went out of his way to support Shankarsinh Vaghela.

The ouster of four UF appointees -- K P Singh (Gujarat), Lt General S K Sinha (retd) (Assam), Justice Fatima Beevi (Tamil Nadu) and Sukhdev Singh Kang (Kerala) -- has also become imperative.

The Congress appointees who are likely to be shown the door are Mahabir Prasad (Haryana) and K Ramanujam (Orissa). Both have more than a year of their tenure left. The axe may also fall on Rajendra Kumari Bajpeyi (Pondicherry), who has less than a year of her tenure left, as has Bali Ram Bhagat in Rajasthan.

As for the change of guard in bureacracy, Vajpayee has already initiated the exercise in consultation with Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra and Private Secretary Shakti Sinha. But secretary-level changes are not likely to take place before the crucial trial of strength.

Intelligence Bureau Director Arun Bhagat will retire on April 30. Several IPS officers of the 1963 and 1964 batches are trying to succeed him, but Vajpayee has almost made up his mind to promote Special Director Shyamal Dutta to the post. Dutta is the senior-most in the Bureau.

For the CBI director's job, the race is between Special Director Trinath Mishra and Ministry of Home Affairs Special Secretary Mukund Bihari Kaushal. The vigilance commissioner will also be appointed afresh. Former CBI director Joginder Singh is trying hard for the post, but the IAS lobby is not in favour of giving it to IPS officers.

As far as secretary-level changes are concerned, more than 10 officials will be shifted to different departments. The fate of the finance and revenue secretary will be decided by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha after the Budget is passed. Both are likely to be retained.

Rajiv Shukla