Gurugram: He is known in bureaucratic circles as the K. Kailashnathan (KK) of Haryana. KK entered the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in 2006 and helmed it for 18 years— including on extensions after his retirement in 2013—until he hung up his boots as chief principal secretary in June this year.
Rajesh Khullar, back in Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s office as chief principal secretary, has been in the Haryana CMO since April 2015. He might not be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as KK was, but Khullar enjoys as much clout in Haryana’s corridors of power for sure, thanks to the patronage of Manohar Lal Khattar, the former CM who is now a Union cabinet minister.
A retired 1988-batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, Khullar’s reappointment as chief principal secretary followed days of speculation.
Khullar first joined Khattar’s CMO in April 2015 as a special principal secretary, quickly becoming his principal secretary. After a stint with the World Bank following the 2019 elections, he returned just before his retirement on 31 August 2023 and assumed the role of chief principal secretary on 1 September that year.
When Khattar handed over the reins to Saini on 12 March 2024, Khullar continued in his role. Now, after Saini’s resounding victory in the assembly elections, Khullar is back as chief principal secretary, albeit after some drama.
On 17 October, the chief secretary’s office had initially issued an order appointing Khullar as chief principal secretary with cabinet rank, only to retract it a few hours later. Finally, on 22 October, a new order confirmed his appointment without the cabinet rank, effective from 17 October, and said that it would continue until further notice or until the CM’s term ends.
Colleagues describe Khullar as efficient and capable of navigating complex files with speed and accuracy. They also speak of his “deep spiritual side” and his fondness for Sufi music and Kabir bhajans.
A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Haryana, who served as a minister under Khattar, said Khullar’s loyalty—especially to the former CM—was his defining quality.
“I wouldn’t say he is indispensable; no one is. In our party, anyone, regardless of their stature, can be put in their place within minutes after 2014,” the leader said with a smile.
However, he emphasised that Khullar’s loyalty has underscored his importance in the past few years. While some officers were seen saluting senior Congress leaders in anticipation of the party’s return to power, Khullar was dedicated to securing the BJP’s victory, he said.
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‘Some of his decisions cost BJP dearly’
Under Khattar, Khullar had emerged as one of the most powerful officers in the CMO with multiple key departments under him.
And while some critics suggest that his close relationship with Khattar stems from their shared Punjabi background, they still recognise his competence as an administrator.
During Khullar’s time at the CMO, significant efforts were made to combat corruption in Haryana by computerising processes related to three key areas: government recruitment, transfers, and Change of Land Use (CLU). These areas had long been associated with corruption, and Haryana often found itself in the national spotlight due to the notorious “slip system” that plagued them.
A retired IAS officer characterised Khullar as someone connected to the grassroots. Another former IAS officer ThePrint spoke to, who has worked closely with him, said that Khullar was particularly adept at navigating challenges.
“He commands his resources very well,” said the officer.
The BJP leader quoted earlier, however, also pointed to controversial decisions made by Khullar.
“Some of his decisions, particularly initiatives like the property ID, family ID, and e-tendering for development works in Panchayats, which diluted the powers of the sarpanches, cost our party dearly. These were significant issues during the Lok Sabha elections, where we lost five out of 10 seats. However, during the assembly elections, Nayab Saini was able to manage public anger on these topics by assuring voters that any schemes that were not acceptable would be revoked or amended,” said the BJP leader.
A senior IAS officer said that savvy civil servants often get the credit for successful decisions, while others share the blame for the failures.
“In the bureaucratic and political circles of Haryana, everyone knows that the backlash over the property IDs fell on V. Umashankar, a 1991-batch IAS officer serving as principal secretary in the CMO. Similarly, the issues surrounding e-tendering were attributed to Amit Agarwal, a 2003-batch IAS officer who was then working as additional principal secretary in the CMO,” said the officer.
In another incident, in 2023, then health minister Anil Vij had objected to Khullar heading a meeting of the health department without keeping him in the loop.
Khullar’s life and career
Khullar was born on 31 August 1963 in Ambala Cantonment.
He completed his graduation from Kurukshetra University and earned an M.Sc. in Physics with a gold medal from Panjab University. While pursuing an M Tech at IIT-Delhi, he was selected for the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1987 and assigned to the Maharashtra cadre. However, during his training at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad, he was selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1988 and allocated to the Haryana cadre.
Khullar also holds a master of public administration degree from the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan, and a diploma in executive development from the Harvard Kennedy School.
He served as executive director of the World Bank between 2020 and 2023. He returned in February 2023 and was posted as additional chief secretary (Revenue).
On 1 September 2023, just a day after his retirement, Khullar was appointed chief principal secretary to CM Khattar.
After Nayab Saini became CM, Khullar continued as his CPS.
Khullar was also part of the CMO during O.P. Chautala’s tenure from 2000 to 2005.
