New Delhi, July 2 :     Arun Singh, Rajiv Gandhi?s confidant who vanished into self-imposed political exile for over a decade following the Bofors fracas, has staged an unlikely comeback, this time as close friend of foreign minister Jaswant Singh. Arun Singh has taken over as his special executive assistant. The former minister of state for defence, it appears, volunteered to help the Atal Behari Vajpayee?s caretaker regime as the country was faced with a ??national crisis??. The government says his appointment is for the duration of the Kargil crisis. Singh is drawing an honorary monthly salary of one rupee for the assignment. However, even before formally assuming office in South Block, Singh had been advising the foreign minister on how to handle the diplomatic and military aspects of the conflict. Jaswant Singh told a newspaper that he has ??exploited?? the former minister?s sense of nationalism and he will help in preparing ??assessments and action papers on various situations??. Arun Singh was a well regarded minister of state for defence under Rajiv Gandhi before the two fell out over kickback allegations in the Bofors deal. He continues to enjoy the confidence of the top brass in the defence establishment and can help with his ??sharp mind and vast expertise?? in evolving policies. Though Singh has chosen the corner room at the end of the first floor corridor, next to that of minister of state Vasundhara Raje Scindia and far away from the senior minister?s, no one in South Block is undermining his importance. Since his appointment yesterday, the new adviser has taken part in ministry meetings chaired by Jaswant Singh and attended by senior officials from the foreign and defence ministries. That a Rajiv Gandhi loyalist has joined hands with the BJP is bound to raise eyebrows, but sources said Arun Singh?s decision to emerge from hibernation is an entirely personal one. ??Arun Singh is the kind of man not too moved by politics or ideology,?? said a source. ??When he was a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, it did not strictly mean he subscribed to Congress ideology, and now that he is assisting a BJP-led government, it does not mean he has turned saffron. It is something he is doing for a friend, like it was the last time,?? he added. Singh quit the Rajiv Gandhi government after a row with his friend and Gen. K. Sundarji, then army chief, over the Bofors scandal. Singh never went public on the differences he had with Rajiv Gandhi. He had initially defended the gun deal in Parliament, but refused to do so after allegations of kickbacks surfaced. In a strange coincidence, Singh returns along with Bofors, which today said India had ordered spare parts for its howitzers. The current order is for just $120,000, Bofors division chief Magnus Ingesson said. He did not specify what exactly India ordered, except to say it was not ammunition.