Brajesh Mishra was the most powerful principal secretary in any PMO

When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as the Prime Minister on 19 March 1998, Mishra was appointed as principal secretary to the PMO the same day. He moved ahead "full steam" with the nuclear programme, ensuring India conducted successful nuclear tests within weeks of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government taking office. In 1991, a few months before his superannuation, Mishra joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and headed its foreign affairs cell, even though his father, DP Mishra, had been the formidable chief minister of Madhya Pradesh as a Congress leader. As the BJP's foreign policy spokesperson, Brajesh…