Haryana Government Puts Chief Principal Secretary Appointment on Hold

On Friday evening, the Haryana government announced the appointment of retired bureaucrat Rajesh Khullar as the Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. However, in an unexpected move, this decision was put on hold just hours later. 

Initially, Khullar was appointed to the prestigious position with the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister. The order, issued around 8 PM on Friday, stated that his term would be co-terminus with that of the Chief Minister. This appointment seemed to solidify Khullar's position in the new administration under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

However, the situation took a dramatic turn near midnight when Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad issued a new order. This order declared that the previous appointment of the Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister was to be "kept in abeyance till further orders." The sudden reversal has raised questions about the internal dynamics of the state government.

Rajesh Khullar is not new to high-profile positions in Haryana. He previously served as Principal Secretary to former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for five years. In 2020, Khullar moved to an international role as Executive Director at the World Bank. He returned to Haryana in 2023 and was appointed as Chief Principal Secretary to the CM upon his retirement from civil service.

Interestingly, Khullar maintained his position even after the recent change in leadership, when Nayab Singh Saini replaced Khattar as Chief Minister. This continuity suggested a degree of stability in the transition of power.

In a parallel development, another key figure from the Khattar administration, Venkatesan Umashankar, has moved to a central government role. Umashankar, a 1993-batch IAS officer who served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister for four years, has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved this appointment on Saturday. 

Like Khullar, Umashankar had also continued in his role as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister after Saini took over from Khattar. His move to a central ministry marks a significant shift in his career trajectory.

These developments, as reported by The Haryana Story, highlight the fluid nature of high-level administrative appointments and the complex interplay between state and central government positions. The suspension of Khullar's appointment and Umashankar's move to Delhi underscore the ongoing changes in Haryana's political and administrative landscape. 

As the situation unfolds, observers will be keenly watching for any further developments or explanations regarding the abeyance of Khullar's appointment and its implications for the state government's functioning.