PM Modi’s Principal Adviser PK Sinha Quits Citing “Personal Grounds”

PK Sinha had served as Secretary with three Union ministries when UPA was in power (File)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Adviser PK Sinha has resigned, reportedly citing “personal grounds”. The former Cabinet Secretary was with the PM’s Office for 18 months.

With no more details so far, the exit of one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted aides has raised eyebrows. The post of Principal Adviser to PM was created to accommodate Mr Sinha in the Prime Minister’s Office in 2019. The appointment order had said his tenure as Principal Adviser to PM Modi would be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister.

Mr Sinha, one of the senior most bureaucrats in the government, had the longest tenure as Cabinet Secretary for over four years, with three extensions. The 1977 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer belonged to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

In PM Modi’s first term, he was Cabinet Secretary. When he retired in 2019, the year PM Modi returned to power, he was taken into the PM’s Office as Officer on Special Duty.

After Nripendra Misra, another top bureaucrat, moved out of PM Modi’s office, Mr Sinha was appointed Principal Adviser.

But while a post was created for Mr Sinha, he had been functioning without any official rank, unlike his colleagues PK Mishra and Ajit Doval, who were both given cabinet rank.

Earlier, Mr Sinha served as Secretary with three Union ministries when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

Mr Sinha looked after policy matters of all ministries and departments in the PMO and subjects that were not assigned to Mr Mishra or Ajit Doval.