NewsDrum Informals: Bhupender Yadav’s top staff axed over Alwar projects?

New Delhi: The exit of four officials attached to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav's office has become one of the most discussed developments in Delhi's power corridors this week. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued separate orders on July 3 removing the minister's Private Secretary, two Additional Private Secretaries and one Assistant Private Secretary with immediate effect. Among those moved out were Amar Singh, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer of the 2010 batch, who was serving as Private Secretary and has been repatriated to the Department of Revenue on administrative grounds. Shailesh Kumar Singh, a Central Secretariat Service officer serving as Additional Private Secretary, who has been prematurely repatriated to the Department of Personnel and Training under the "extended cooling off" provision; while the appointments of Ayush Saran, Additional Private Secretary , and Siddharth Yadav, Assistant Private Secretary, have been terminated with immediate effect. While the official orders cited administrative reasons, the scale and timing of the action have fuelled intense speculation within the bureaucracy. Political circles were also abuzz with speculation, with opposition leaders linking the developments to projects in Alwar and even the Prime Minister's Office. Some also suggested alleged irregularities involving members of the minister's staff. On the other hand, people close to the ruling establishment said the action had no connection to any external developments. In bureaucratic circles, there is also growing chatter that the government may tighten oversight of ministerial personal staff across departments. Officials privately say there has been increasing concern about the influence exercised by some ministerial staff members, who often appear to call the shots instead of the minister. None of these claims have been confirmed by the government, and there is no official indication that the latest changes are linked to any misconduct. Equally, no action or allegation against any of the officers has been placed in the public domain.