Indira Gandhi Removed My Father As Secretary Of Defence Production, Says Jaishankar

In a recent interview to a news agency, EAM S Jaishankar spoke about how his father was removed as a secretary in the central government by ex-PM Indira Gandhi.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had his father removed as the secretary of Defence production during her tenure. He levelled the allegation in an interview to news agency ANI about his journey from the foreign service to politics.

He said he always aimed to be the best officer and get elevated to the post of Foreign Secretary. Serving as Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to January 2018, he previously held key ambassadorial positions in China and the United States. Jaishankar's father, Dr K Subrahmanyam, who passed away in 2011, was regarded as one of India's most prominent national security strategists. Jaishankar noted that he comes from a family of bureaucrats and talked about his father's experience. He revealed that his father was removed as Secretary of Defence Production by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi soon after she came back to power in 1980. During the Rajiv Gandhi period, his father was superseded, with someone junior to him becoming the Cabinet Secretary.

According to Jaishankar, his father was an upright person, which might have caused the problem. As a result, his father's career in the bureaucracy stalled and he never became a secretary again. Jaishankar added that when his elder brother became a secretary, his father was very proud.

Jaishankar shared that he had achieved his goal of becoming a secretary when he was appointed Grade 1 (equivalent to an ambassador) after his father's death in 2011. He further revealed that after he left the Foreign Service in 2018, he went to work for Tata Sons. Later, he received a political opportunity, which he needed to think about, since he was not prepared for it.

Jaishankar reflected on the phone call from the Prime Minister inviting him to be part of the 2019 Narendra Modi-led cabinet, saying that it came as a surprise. He was unsure when he joined the Cabinet and wasn't even a member of Parliament when he was selected. Jaishankar said he watched politicians up close throughout his foreign service career and looks very carefully at what people are doing in his party and other parties.

Jaishankar spoke about his experience as a Cabinet minister, saying that it has been a very interesting four years. He noted that the current cabinet is a team cabinet, and the idea of doing one's own thing does not gel with the cabinet's technocratic approach. He believes it has been a time of very intense learning, and he looks forward to contributing further.