Pluses
- Chidambaram has activated the dormant ministry
- Daily meetings now with the intelligence bosses
- All intelligence agencies now have a constantly updated common pool of information, accessible 24/7
- Abrasive style has met with resistance in the ministry and among CMs
- Beginnings of a turf war between MHA and MEA
- Cabinet colleagues worried at his growing clout
***
As the finance minister, P. Chidambaram may have had his admirers in the pro-reform lobby, some sections of the media and in the few civil servants who have, over the years, been able to keep pace with him. But his edgy, abrasive style, the barely concealed contempt he has for those less sharp than he is, and impatience with those who venture to disagree with him has ensured that those who didn't have to deal with him maintained a distance. This, even though no one contests his...
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