New Delhi: A day after the Narendra Modi government sacked Sujatha Singh as foreign secretary by abruptly “curtailing" her tenure, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the government had to issue orders for the new appointment as S. Jaishankar, whom it wanted as the new foreign secretary, was due to retire on January 31. She also said she had personally spoken to Ms Singh on the matter, and made it clear she was “very much part of the decision” on the new appointment.

The episode evoked a sharp reaction from the Congress, which questioned the timing of the Modi government’s decision to remove Ms Singh, and wondered if it was in “retribution” for her stand on IFS officer Devyani Khobragade, who was arrested over a year ago in the United States. Experts feel the sacking could be an indication of Prime Minister Narendra Modi tightening his grip on foreign policy.

Mr Jaishankar will now have a two-year tenure as foreign secretary as per rules. The decision to appoint Mr Jaishankar, who played a key role during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in September and US President Barack Obama’s just-concluded India visit, was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Modi. Jaishankar assumed charge at South Block here on Thursday.

In a farewell email to her colleagues, Ms Singh reportedly claimed she had sought early retirement and underlined that no individual was larger that the institution. Officials said Ms Singh had sought voluntary retirement after being removed as foreign secretary, with reports saying she was “livid” over the developments.