R Krishna Das
India hardly has any former National Security Adviser (NSA) who loved to criticise country’s policy at the international forums. Shiv Shankar Menon seems to be an exception.
The great-grand son of former Congress President C Shankaran Nair, the 1972-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer has a bizarre addiction– pen down his views on International media without faltering to castigate the policies.
The latest being to an American magazine where he has alleged that US President Donald Trump has given “the Modi government a free pass on its controversial domestic agenda.
The article, titled ‘How Trump and Modi Refashioned the U.S.-Indian Relationship’, is seen as the sharpest critique yet of India-US ties under the Modi government by Menon, who served as the NSA under PM Manmohan Singh.
The article had drawn sharp criticism not from politicians but a section of bureaucrats and diplomats. As one says, “A former NSA who has accessed country’s all secret documents should drawn line to air criticism at the international forums.”
Menon, who had been demonstrating his inclination towards a political party, is not new to controversy. During his tenure as NSA from 2010 to 2014, country had witnessed some of the serious terror attacks. A colleague of his says Menon’s approach has always been callous.
In 2012, when China started publishing passports with Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as integral parts of its own territory, the then Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid had stated that the move was unacceptable to India.
Surprisingly, Menon observed one needs to look at ‘such matters with a different perspective and outlook’.
While Khurshid was condemning China’s move, Menon was contesting and almost repentant for it. China unabashedly portrayed sovereign Indian territory as its own; the least Menon could have done as NSA was to condemn the move which he did not.
Having served as ambassador to China, Menon also sees “The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China”, which aims to link Asia with Europe for trade and other exchanges, as an opportunity for India. He had criticized CAA, removal of article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and other serious security issues internationally.
Many diplomats say Menon may have ideological difference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but criticizing the policies in open at the international forum cannot be justified for a person having held country’s top security post. After all, it is related to country’s security and he was once appointed for save guarding it.
His preaching on Nepotism also contradicts his practice.
In September 2006, senior IFS officer Rajiv Sikri proceeded on leave after seeking voluntary retirement over being superseded for the post of Foreign Secretary. Sikri, a 1970-batch IFS officer, wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking voluntary retirement, more than a year ahead of his superannuation.
Considered to be a contender for the post of Foreign Secretary, Sikri quit because of his disappointment over the government’s decision to appoint 1972-batch IFS officer Shiv Shankar Menon, to succeed Shyam Saran.
Not one, Menon reportedly superseded 16 other officials for the top slot.
