Narayanan takes up duties of security adviser

Special adviser to the Prime Minister and former Intelligence Bureau chief MK Narayanan was today given additional duties of the national security adviser, following the death of incumbent JN Dixit, till further orders.

Narayanan will hold dual charge in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) till such time as a suitable replacement is found for Dixit.

A 1958 batch IPS officer, 70-year-old Naryananan, a trusted aide of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, headed the Intelligence Bureau in 1989-90 before being made head of joint intelligence committee. He was again brought back as Intelligence Bureau chief in 1991 and retired the next year.

"The Prime Minister has assigned the duties of the national security adviser to MK Narayanan, special adviser to the Prime Minister," a PMO announcement said today.

Singh had made him special adviser for internal security in May soon after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government assumed office. Narayanan is an expert in security matters and is a specialist on Sri Lankan affairs.

In a touching eulogy for Dixit, Narayanan had said yesterday he along with TKA Nair, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, and Dixit had formed a "troika" in the PMO and had increasingly found themselves in agreement over many core issues, and that Dixit's loss would be felt keenly.

Narayanan's appointment, although temporary has exposed the great hole that Dixit's loss has left in the UPA camp as far as foreign policy and strategic affairs are concerned.

As of now the names doing the rounds for the key post are former foreign secretaries SK Singh and Muchkund Dubey, seasoned diplomat SK Lambah, Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen and former Ambassador Naresh Chandra and deputy to the national security adviser Satish Chandra. Dixit died yesterday following a heart attack.