By appointing Shiv Shankar Menon as the country’s new foreign secretary today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chose ‘competence’ over ‘seniority’; but the same principle is unlikely to be applied when filling in the vacant slot of External Affairs Minister, well placed sources indicated.

The Prime Minister, who is keen to appoint a full-fledged foreign minister before he departs for Brazil and Cuba on September 10, will stick to the Congress tradition of choosing someone with “experience, erudition and gravitas” — a criteria that has made veteran Congressman Karan Singh a front-runner for the post.

The twin decisions to appoint Shiv Shankar as foreign secretary and Shyam Saran as special envoy for the conclusion of the tricky Indo-US nuclear deal are both signals of a ‘pro-active’ Prime Minister as far as foreign policy is concerned. A new foreign minister would be in keeping with this approach. That is why it is unlikely to wait for the more delicate and difficult task of a much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle.

While several names have been doing the rounds, the Congress leadership’s insistence on “seniority” has narrowed down the options before the Prime Minister, sources said. Kapil Sibal, considered close to the PM, may have the requisite erudition and aplomb, but is viewed as a ‘Johnny-come lately’ within the party.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anand Sharma, for instance, is far senior to Sibal when it comes to the number of years in the party. Sharma was a Youth Congress leader during Indira Gandhi’s time and is believed to be keen on a promotion to Cabinet-rank if the contender is Sibal. One reason, perhaps, that Sharma has repeatedly said that the MEA was doing just fine over the last nine months and there was no pressing need to appoint a foreign minister.

... contd.