As a reluctant appointee to the job of India’s home minister, P. Chidambaram has come a long way in just 15 days. He has taken several decisions of far-reaching importance, including setting up of four centres of NSG across the country and the revival of the post of Internal Security Advisor. The post of ISA was removed when MK Narayanan was promoted as the National Security Advisor; Narayanan himself was our ISA when JN Dixit held the job of NSA for the Indian government.

Within this brief tenure, Chidambaram has managed to get two crucial bills passed in Parliament and cleared the way for the establishment of a National Investigation Agency. His amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has made this law more stringent than POTA. He has ensured the passing of two bills in Parliament with lasting impact on internal security. Chidambaram has gone ahead and sanctioned a direct purchase of 2,000 bullet-proof jackets for security commandos, bypassing the established process of inviting tenders, which would have delayed the supply by nearly two years. He even wrote to the Chief Vigilance Commissioner noting that he consciously bypassed the tendering process in national interest and requested for the CVC’s approval of his decision.

Chidambaram’s most significant announcement came during his reply to a debate on terrorism in Rajya Sabha. He first critiqued the government machinery for delays in crucial decision-making, which he said was costing the country dearly. He also said that various government departments, including the CBI and vigilance, serve as the biggest impediments to decision-making and crucial decisions were held back for years. Because of the fear of audits and avoidable questioning by some of these agencies, government officers are today wary of making any decisions and prefer to sit on crucial files. Chidambaram told Parliament that he was determined to let go of all constraints and take decisions liberally, without worrying about their repercussions.

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