In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi, Natl Spokesperson, BJP & Political Advisor to Rajnath Singh; Gaurav Bhatia, Natl President, Legal Wing, SP; Amee Yajnik, Spokesperson, Congress; and Kumar Ketkar, Sr Journalist -- discuss the issue of Govt's move to push appointment of Modi's aide Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary, and whether the Congress is making its fight with PM Modi personal by opposing the appointment of his key aide.

Over a month after former TRAI Chairman Nripendra Misra was appointed as principal secretary to PM Narendra Modi, govt on July 11 brought a bill in LS to remove legal hurdles in the appointment, amid objections by TMC and Congress members. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill is to replace an ordinance issued on May 28 to change a clause in the TRAI Act by which Misra could not have been appointed to any govt post after retirement. Misra, a 1967-batch retired IAS officer of UP cadre who retired in 2009, joined the PMO the same day the ordinance was promulgated and the bill was being brought to give his appointment the requisite legal backing. Before the Ordinance was promulgated, the TRAI Act prohibited its chairman and members from taking up any other job in central or state governments after demitting office. "The chairperson or any other member ceasing to hold office as such, shall (a) be ineligible for further employment under the Central govt or any state govt or (b) not accept any commercial employment for a period of two years from the date he ceases to hold such office," says the TRAI Act of 1997 available on the law ministry website. To circumvent this section, the Modi govt promulgated an ordinance amending this section. The amended section now reads as: "The chairperson and the whole-time members shall not, for a period of two years from the date on which they cease to hold office as such, except with the previous approval of the Central