New Delhi:
Give us more work - that's the demand the Union Government's junior ministers went to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with on Tuesday.
"It's better to do away with the Minister of State rank, than make them sit idle," Trinamool leader and Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Ray bluntly told the Prime Minister, as he led the group of nearly a dozen junior ministers.
"We discussed our role in general and now it is for the Prime Minister to act," said Ray after the meeting. "The Prime Minister will have to allocate work," added Srikant Jena, also a Minister of State.
Also among the upset ministers were Jyotiraditya Scindia, RPN Singh and Pallam Raju. Often, they said, they get to know of policy decisions from the media.
"We have met the PM individually but this is the first time we are meeting him together and it is important to get an understanding of what he wants from us," said RPN Singh, Minister of State for Surface Transport.
They also asked for allocation of work by the Prime Minister himself, saying it should not be left to the Cabinet Ministers. The group felt redundant portfolios could be done away with, for instance, the minister of state for austerity.
But while the Prime Minister agreed that junior ministers should be utilised better, he also had a word of advice for them - visit various states, reach out to the people and don't ignore Parliamentary duties.
Meanwhile, the cabinet secretary will prepare a note for discussion with the senior ministers - who seem to agree with their junior colleagues. "It's good this has been taken up. All of them should be given work," said Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, adding, "It is for this purpose the Prime Minister called the meeting, to get a better perspective."
Manmohan Singh's cabinet has 38 junior ministers of state, and despite his attempts to get them a larger profile he has been unable to do so. Ensuring that junior ministers get their rightful share in India's governance will be a challenge for the Prime Minister, especially its actual implementation.
Both the PM and Sonia Gandhi are keen that the younger ministers are given a bigger job profile and are groomed for future roles - a task which is easier said than done on ground.