Singh said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had informed her on January 28 afternoon that the PM wanted to appoint S Jaishankar as the Foreign Secretary.
She said she had sent a letter on that evening seeking early retirement "as instructed by the Prime Minister". But she got a call from the Prime Minister's Office "asking me if I would consider deleting it (the words)..."
To a question, Singh claimed someone within the government was planting stories against her in the media and maintained that she does not believe in leaking privileged information to journalists.
The career diplomat made it clear that the "chapter was over" for her and she would concentrate on gardening and weaving, indicating that she was not looking for another opening.
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