SUnil arora likely to BecoMe Prasar Bharati chief

Former bureaucrat Sunil Arora, who is presently working as an advisor to Prasar Bharati, is likely to become the CEO of the body, a post which has fallen vacant due to the premature retirement of the former CEO, Jawhar Sircar.

Arora, who retired this year in August as Information and Broadcasting Secretary, is a 1980 batch IAS officer who shares a good rapport with BJP leaders. The bond developed during his days as Secretary of former Rajasthan Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in 1993-1994. Arora was also close to former Union minister Jaswant Singh.

“Shekhawat used to like him a lot and would trust him very much. It was due to Shekhawat that he developed a good rapport with BJP leaders. They were in regular touch till the time Shekhawat died in 2010,” said a journalist who has known both Shekhawat and Arora.

After Shekhawat lost the Assembly elections in 1998 and Congress’ Ashok Gehlot came to power, Arora moved to the Centre where the NDA was in power and became the CMD of Air India and later the CMD of Indian Airlines. Arora, who has also worked as the collector of Alwar, Jodhpur and Dholpur, is known for his habit of helping people without taking into consideration his or her political leaning. “He speaks less and listens more and has an obliging nature cutting across party lines. He knows how to get work done even if there are many speed-breakers,” an official with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

The candidature of Arora is also being backed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who, too, shares a good rapport with him. The present I&B Minister, Venkaiah Naidu, however, is not too keen on Arora, but is expected to come on board.

Sircar, who was appointed by the UPA-II government, had numerous run-ins with the present political dispensation, particularly with Naidu, and with no political support coming from the BJP, Sircar had no choice but to leave before his stipulated tenure ended in February next year.