In fact, only last week, in an unprecedented move, the entire Opposition had agreed not to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha after senior party leaders were briefed by the Prime Minister and Defence Minister George Fernandes. But Harinder Singh's appointment has changed all that. Today Congress leaders spoke about bringing a statutory resolution in the Rajya Sabha where the Opposition has a majority to embarrass the Government.

Why did the Govt appoint Singh and invite trouble? Singh's posting, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and held in abeyance since last December, could have been put off until the Budget session was over.

However, Fernandes has been set on having Singh and he persuaded the Prime Minister to give thegreen signal. He is believed to have convinced Vajpayee that if Singh weren't appointed that would amount to accepting that Bhagwat was right and the Government made a mistake sacking him.

For the last three months, the political grapevine has been agog that like Bhagwat, Singh was also in the doghouse and was either going to be posted elsewhere or given an ambassadorship. Bhagwat's successor Sushil Kumar had even publicly declared that a rethink was needed on Singh's appointment. Singh had invited criticism for the communal allegations he made against Bhagwat's wife.

Sources say that the delay in Singh's appointment was because the PM was reluctant to go ahead with the order. A committee comprising the Defence Minister, Defence Secretary, chief of Navy and the chief of Army is believed to have scrutinised the relevant documents about Singh. It was said that Singh had apologised for his derogatory references about Niloufar Bhagwat, though it is not clear who the apology was made to or whether it was givenin writing.

Then the Punjab lobby swung into action as chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, whose proximity to Harinder Singh is known, mounted pressure on the PMO. So did an editor of a Jalandhar daily. Singh comes from Punjab and his father was a well-known civil surgeon there.

Incidentally, the PM wasn't for Bhagwat's sacking and had told the Defence Minister last year that he had enough on his plate. But his hands were tied with Fernandes threatening to quit if Bhagwat wasn't removed.

It is learnt that even before the axe fell on the former Navy chief, Congress leader Sharad Pawar, having got wind of the growing tension between the Naval chief and the Ministry of Defence, had written to the Prime Minsiter urging him to take remedial action. Vajpayee called Pawar, Manmohan Singh, Deve Gowda and I K Gujral for consultations. After that meeting, Pawar had spoken to Bhagwat. Sources say that Bhagwat had become willing at the time to agree to the appointment of a ``third'' person as the deputychief.

(While the Defence Minister had wanted Harinder Singh for the post of deputy chief, Bhagwat had made adverse observations against Singh and resisted his appointment. Instead he had recommended Madanjit Singh.)

Pawar had urged Fernandes to talk to Bhagwat and sort things out. But the Defence Minister did not meet the Navy chief. Nor for that matter did the Prime Minsiter.