Congress, BJP spar over change of foreign secretary

New Delhi, Jan 29: The Congress Thursday questioned the abrupt replacement of foreign secretary Sujatha Singh before the ending of her tenure and demanded that the government explain the reasons for the change -- but the ruling BJP retorted it was well within the government's rights to decide on appointments. Congress leader Manish Tewari wondered if the decision was a belated result of the stern stand taken by Sujatha Singh on the Devyani Khobragade issue. "Foreign secretary is head of the foreign service... before you start gerrymandering with seniority and fixed tenure, you need to very categorically explain as to what is the reason for doing so," Tewari told IANS. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, said it was the government's prerogative to decide on appointments. "I don't see any reason for the hue and cry. A government is within its rights to decide how it would like to appoint what officers and with what responsibilities. And this is not the first time... Preceding governments have taken (such) decisions," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.