Congress questions abrupt removal of Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh

NEW DELHI: Congress today questioned the timing of government's decision to remove Sujatha Singh as Foreign Secretary and wondered whether it was "retribution" for her stand on IFS officer Devyani Khobragade.

"Is sacking of Foreign Secretary late retribution for her stand on Devyani Khobragade affair? Removal after a Presidential visit "coincidental"? former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari wrote on Twitter.

Government last night decided to replace Singh curtailing her tenure by eight months and appointed India's ambassador to the US S Jaishankar in her place.

Singh was the Foreign Secretary when the arrest of Khobragade in the US had led to a diplomatic dust-up.

The 1999 batch IFS officer was arrested in 2013 in New York on visa fraud charges. The incident had triggered a row between the two countries with India reacting with steps including downgrading privileges of certain categories of US diplomats. Singh as Foreign Secretary had taken a tough stand on the matter.