As usual, the NaMo administration sprang a surprise by placing Sanjay Kothari (Retd. IAS:1978:HY) in Prez's Secretariat. Bharat Lal's (IFoS:1988:GJ) placement was equally surprising. Lal himself is said to have been taken aback as his aspirations had almost faded to be part of a top office like the PMO. What drew the attention was the timing of the appointment of top three officials who would accupy the 'space' at Prez's secretariat. They were appointed four days ahead of the scheduled swearing in of the 14th President of India. What do these signal? Immediately after the three appointments were made, officials started to exchange notes to figure out what has transpired. The first question was 'why Kothari'. It is believed that as a former Secretary, Dept of ARPG & further as DOPT, Kothari would have been considered the fittest one to handle official procedures, legal framework and constitutional provisions. It can't not be denied that he will play a crucial role if critical issues related to Article 370, Uniform Civil Code, promulgation of ordnances and president rules in state may arrive in the President's office in future. Further, it's beyond doubt that Kothari is a loyalist. Similarly, Bharat Lal's appointment as Joint Secretary to President has more to it than meets the eye. Some top sources believe that Lal may become the lynchpin of the President's secretariat, and may become even more powerful than the Secretary to the President. Known as a PM's Bhakt, Lal was always considered 'eyes & ears' of  Modi during his tenure as Gujarat CM. Even though he failed to find a place in the PMO, he was the only Resident Commissioner with 24X7 access to the PMO. The low-profile Lal is sure to leave no stone unturned to stay up to the expectations of his master while handling the affairs at Prez's Secretariat.