Lend an ear to MPs, PM tells cabinet colleagues

Prime minister (PM) Manmohan Singh has written to his cabinet colleagues to display greater sensitivity towards the concerns of members of parliament (MPs) and listen to them.

This is the second time in a week that the PM has addressed
issues relating to cabinet ministers. On Tuesday, he spent over an hour listening to ministers of state complaining that they were being under-utilised.

The PM’s missive is addressed to all cabinet ministers in the UPA government and is a follow-up to the pep talk he delivered to ministers of state after hearing them out.

In a short and succinct letter, the PM has urged his colleagues to give due importance to issues raised by MPs and try and address them on priority basis. He had told the same to ministers of state.

The PM’s letter and his interactions with ministerial colleagues are a part of his attempt to impart greater urgency to the functioning of his government. There has been concern both in the upper echelons of the government and the party that after the initial burst of enthusiasm, many ministries have “slackened off”.

Senior Congressmen said even Sonia Gandhi was of the view that there was a need to impart a greater sense of urgency to the functioning of the government.

“We know from experience that after the initial euphoria, there is certain easing off. This often leads to the government losing direction. We want to avoid that,” a minister said.