Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be in charge of the government while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is away on a visit to the U.S., sources in the Cabinet Secretariat said on Friday.
“The Prime Minister has directed that during the period of his absence on foreign tour from September 25 to October 1, 2014, urgent business may be put up before the Home Minister for disposal,’’ according to an order by the Cabinet Secretariat.
Government sources said that a similar arrangement was also worked out during Mr. Modi’s visit to Brazil in July. The present arrangement reiterates the position of the Home Minister as number two in the Cabinet. During Mr. Modi’s five-day official visit to Japan also, Mr. Singh was looking after the government.
The official communication comes at a time when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who also holds the charge of Defence Ministry, is recovering after a surgery in a city hospital.
