Within a span of two days Retired IAS Rajesh Khullar, who was appointed the Principal Chief Secretary to Haryana’s CM Nayab Singh Saini on October 18th, was once again reduced to the status of a retired bureaucrat.
As it happened, Officer Khullar’s dream to enjoy the benefits of a Cabinet Minister without the weight of political influence was shortlived. In an unusual break from administrative norms, Mr. Khullar was granted a tenure that would end with the Chief Minister’s term, effectively tying his fate to CM Saini’s. This overt display of support for a retired bureaucrat provoked a backlash from opponents, who seized the opportunity to undermine Mr. Khullar’s position.
Politicians quickly rallied against him, and by midnight, his ephemeral ascent was effectively over. Though Khullar’s promotion to Cabinet rank was announced on Friday, the situation shifted dramatically just hours later when state Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad (1988-batch IAS officer) issued a letter placing Khullar’s appointment as Chief Principal Secretary “in abeyance until further notice.”
The situation reached a turning point on the day CM Saini officially assumed office as Haryana’s new Chief Minister. Insiders suggest that the decision to grant Cabinet rank to Ex-IAS Khullar created dissent among three of the Chief Minister’s senior Cabinet colleagues, who argued that it undermined the hard work politicians put in to achieve such positions. As a result, the decision was put on hold.
Mr. Khullar, a 1988-batch Haryana cadre retired IAS officer, was appointed Chief Principal Secretary to the then CM Manohar Lal Khattar on September 1st, 2023. Before this heavyweight designation, Officer Khullar served as the Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner of the Revenue and Disaster Management, and Consolidation Departments.
It is still pertinent to mention that Mr. Khullar could again be reinstated as the Principal Chief Secretary to CM Saini.
