Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister M K Alagiri has flexed his muscle, getting the Prime Minister to remove Fertilizer Secretary Atul Chaturvedi today after differences between the two over a host of issues, including urea imports.

On October 3, Alagiri first wrote to the PM asking him to remove Chaturvedi, a 1974 IAS officer of the UP cadre. But the PMO took its time and Alagiri today threatened to stop attending office until the Secretary was replaced.

By afternoon, the PMO ordered Chaturvedi’s replacement with Special Secretary (Labour) S Krishnan — but after October 31 when Steel Secretary Pramod Kumar Rastogi superannuates so that Chaturvedi could be accommodated there.

Among other things, the Minister had alleged that his Secretary was not providing details on fertilizer imports and was refusing to explain the proposed change in fertiliser subsidy regime to a nutrient-based regime even after he had approved it for being considered by the Group of Ministers.

On October 5, Alagiri ordered an independent enquiry into a controversial import of urea by state-run Indian Potash Ltd. Though he asked for a probe by an independent team under a senior Ministry official, the department appointed a junior officer — Deputy Secretary H Abbas — to conduct the enquiry into the Rs 42-crore contract where substandard urea was imported and papers fudged to offload a cargo that had transited through Karachi.