"We might flatter ourselves that we are doing something extremely valuable for the country, but unless it is also perceived as such by our countrymen, they might well conclude our contribution is not worthwhile..."
The above is an extract from a letter dated April 30, 1986. sent by AP Venkateswaran to all heads of missions and Indian Foreign Service officers after taking over as foreign secretary.
Less than 10 months after he took charge of the foreign office, AP Venkateswaran - a veteran of 36 years of distinguished diplomatic service was unceremoniously sacked by the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at a press meet in New Delhi in 1987.
The manner in which he was sacked had sent shock waves across the Diplomatic Corps of India. The 'inexperience' and 'impulsive' nature of Rajiv Gandhi was widely criticised by the media and opposition. Venkateshwaran, who had to go through that public humiliation all his life, died in 2014.
Exactly 28 years after his sacking and barely six months after his death, the same Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is going through the same turmoil. However, the situation is entirely different.
Sujatha Singh, who was a junior diplomat when Venkateshwaran headed the MEA, has now been sacked from the post of Foreign Secretary by the Narendra Modi government.
Her successor S Jaishankar, who was India's Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), has already taken charge as the new the Foreign Secretary.
Unlike 1987, nobody from the MEA is openly talking about it or protesting the decision. They have accepted it as a routine matter. When Venkateshwaran was sacked in an unprecedented display of anger and solidarity, the Indian Foreign Service Association (IFSA) had called a meeting to condemn the prime minister's action and express its unstinted support to Venkateswaran.
The move, and the potential embarrassment it would cause, obviously had rattled the Prime Minister's Secretariat and immediate and high-level pressure was brought to bear on the IFSA office bearers to call off the meeting.
No such things are taking place now. It is business as usual for the Indian diplomats. Like most other things in India, the Ministry of External Affairs has also changed a lot since 1987.
According to a well known foreign policy and strategic affairs expert Surya Gangadharan, over the years the Ministry of External Affairs has become irrelevant.
Since India opened up its economy in the early 1990s, foreign relation is more about economy and business and less about principles. The diplomats who can deliver on these things are considered the best. Most of its jobs are also being taken over by Finance, Defence and Commerce ministries over the years.
Surya also adds that Jaishankar has a greater acceptability among his fellow diplomats for his scholarship, good nature, vision and professional competence. The same was not the case with Sujatha Singh.
When she was appointed, some people had attributed it to her father's closeness to the Gandhi family. There were even reports that the then prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was in favour of Jaishankar, but was forced to appoint Sujatha Singh for other reasons. By protesting her sacking the Congress is making it obvious that she was appointed for other reasons.
Above mentioned points explains the deathly silence of the Diplomatic Corps of India over the mid-night sacking of their boss.
Since Jaishankar is highly competent and commands respect, the issue of sacking of Sujatha Singh is likely to die down in a day or two.
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