At a glance: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trusted confidants

New Delhi, May 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will complete 22 years in politics next month. Out of these 22 years, he has spent 9 years in 7, Race Course Road and has got the distinction of becoming the third longest serving PM. Obviously, as on today, he is looked upon as one of the veterans of Indian politics.But despite having spent 22 years in politics, you will not find any politician in his inner circle. When it comes to crucial decision making, Manmohan Singh relies more on his trusted team of bureaucrats than any member of his cabinet. And it's not surprising, given the fact that being a former bureaucrat himself, he finds himself on a better wavelength with bureaucrats and technocrats compared to politicians.So who are these men the PM trusts the most? Let's have a look at them one by one:1. T K A Nair (Advisor to PM):T K A Nair used to be the Principal Secretary to the PM before Pulok Chaterji replaced him. Today, he is the advisor to PM with a Minister of State rank.Born in Kerala, Nair is an IAS officer of 1963 batch and served as Chief Secretary of Punjab. Nair became secratary in PMO and served two Prime Minsiters in this role - I K Gujral and A B Vajpayee. He went on to became the Principal Secretary to the PM when Manmohan Singh took over the reins of power.Once upon a time, Nair along with M K Narayanan, the then National Security Advisor (NSA), used to be so powerful in the PMO that David Mulford, the then American ambassador, had described them as 'Keralite mafia' in the PMO, as revealed by Wikileaks cables.It is said that even today if the PM trusts anybody the most then it is T K A Nair who he knows since the time he served in Punjab as an IAS officer. Manmohan Singh spends hours with Nair even today when Nair is no longer the Principal Secretary.It is believed that Manmohan Singh was not willing to replace Nair with Pulok Chaterjee as Principal Secretary but Gandhi family had her way because they wanted someone close to the family in the PMO.Nair lose some of the sheen after some of the appointments recommended by him boomeranged. Nair's one recommendation that went horribly wrong was that of Vinod Rai, a Kerala cadre IAS officer, who was made the CAG. Vinod proved to be the nemesis to the UPA govt as he exposed scam after scam from 2G to CWG to coalgate.2. Pulok Chatterji (Principal Secretary to PM):Pulok Chatterji, better known as a Gandhi family loyalist, took over as Principal Secretary to PM from T K A Nair. He was brought into the PMO to facilitate better coordination between the party and the government ( read between 10, Janpath and PMO).Pulok Chatterjee came into contact of the Gandhi family when he was posted as the District Collector of Sultanpur and Rai Barelli districts in 1980s. Pulok Chatterji's working style and the ability to mingle with common people caught the attention of Indira Gandhi and he developed a close relation with Gandhi family.When Rajiv Gandhi took over as the Prime Minister of India, Pulok was inducted into PMO as deputy secretary. He went on to become a secretary in PMO. In 2009, he joined as World Bank Secretary but his tenure was cut short as he was asked to join PMO as Principal Secretary to PM.Pulok is known for his man managing capabilities and despite being widely seen as a Gandhi family loyalist, he has earned the confidence of the PM as well. Today, he is one of the most trusted lieutenants of the PM.3. Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Deputy Chairman - Planning Commission of India):Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India, is very close to the Prime Minister and the PM takes his advice on crucial matters. According to media reports, Manmohan had shortlisted Montek Singh for Finance Minister's post after Pranab Mukherjee was elevated as the President. Montek lost out in the race because of his lack of political experience.Montek is a highly educated economist and despite not belonging to the Indian Civil Service, he has held many crucial positions that are normally given to career bureaucrats. Some of the top line positions that he held includes: Secretary, Ministry of Finance; Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs; Secretary, Ministry of Commerce.After completing his graduation from Oxford University, Montek joined joined the World Bank and became the youngest 'Division Chief' in the World Bank's bureaucracy at the age of 28.4. C Rangarajan (Chairman -PM's Economic Advisory Council):A former RBI Governor, Rangarajan is the Chairman of PM's Economic Advisory Council.Whenever the PM has to make up his mind on matters relating to macroeconomics, he trusts Rangarajan more than anybody else including the Finance Minister. Rangarajan received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He was a well known teacher of economics at IIMA for the postgraduate and the doctoral courses.His textbook on macro economics is popular in business management schools.Manmohan Singh had shortlisted Rangarajan, along with Montek Singh Ahluwalia, for the Finance Minister's post after Pranab Mukherjee's elevation to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.But Rangarajan, like Montek, lost out in the race purely because of lack of political experience and support.5. Shivshankar Menon (National Security Advisor):Shivshankar Menon is the National Security Advisor (NSA) to the PM.A former foreign Secretary, Menon played a crucial role in the signing of Indo-US nuclear deal. Manmohan Singh was impressed with his negotiation skills and today he is one of the most trusted confidants of Manmohan .A former member of Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Menon served as the foreign secretary of India. Prior to that, he was Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. He had also served as Ambassador to Israel and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.He comes from an illustrious family as His grandfather K. P. S. Menon was India's first Foreign Secretary.6. BVR Subrahmanyam (Joint Secretary, PMO):Subrahmanyam was brought to PMO by Pulok Chatterjee as they had worked together at World bank and shared excellent rapport with each other. An IAS officer of Chhatisgarh cadre, Subrahmanyam was inducted into PMO just after his overseas assignment in clear violation of set rules. Chhatisgarh CM objected to this and Manmohan had to step in to pacify him. Manmohan trusts Subrahmanyam on key finance related matters. Today Subrahmanyam is part of the inner circle of Manmohan Singh.