Cong. opposes dual posts for Brajesh Mishra

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 23. The Congress today disapproved the Government's decision to allow Mr. Brajesh Mishra to function as both the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Its objections are that the NSA is a full-time job requiring undivided attention - Mr. Mishra cannot handle both jobs.

The Congress spokesperson, Mr. Jaipal Reddy, said his party believed that the job of the NSA was ``highly demanding and very demanding''.

The dual responsibility would ``downgrade the role as also the office of the NSA''.

Mr. Reddy said that while the Principal Secretary dealt with everything under the sun, the NSA was a highly specialised job.

``It requires a superman to don both hats, which Mr. Mishra is certainly not,'' he added.

The spokesperson, however, clarified that the Congress was not questioning the Government's authority to appoint Mr. Mishra ``but certainly its wisdom, since Mr. Mishra had also been a controversial figure and had come under a cloud after the Tehelka expose''.

Mr. Reddy welcomed the Government's move to consult various parties on the issue of appointment of the Chief of the Defence Staff.

He, however, declined to spell out the Congress stand saying it would like to study the issue before taking a stand.

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Section  : National
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