New Delhi:
The Prime Minister is now meeting with five editors of different print publications as part of what's seen as an image makeover.
The idea is for the PM, often criticized for being uncommunicative on issues of critical importance, to share his opinions and his government' stand on political and other issues.
Today's is meant to be the first of a series of meetings with the press. Neither his party nor his office indicated how often these sessions will be held, indicating only that they would be "regular."
In the last few months - a period of bumpy political weather, corruption scandals and unsettling inflation - has allowed the Opposition to attack the government and Dr Manmohan Singh of a "governance deficit." Sources say that at a recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee, many party members stressed that the PM's reputation and image as one of the country's most honest leaders should be better employed. They suggested that by being more open and more visible, Dr Singh could convey his government's determination to fighting the corruption that many feel is now ubiquitous among practitioners of power.
Dr Singh has so far held only three nationally-televised press conferences in the last seven years. In an exclusive interview to NDTV earlier this week, Home Minister P Chidambaram accepted "...Yes, I acknowledge that lots of people would like the Prime Minister to step up to the plate, so as to say, and speak more often. But that is the style of the person."
The Opposition isn't impressed. "The PM of a great country like India has to lead. In order to lead, he has to speak with clarity, conviction and direction. I regret to say Manmohan Singh has been one of the most invisible Prime Ministers of India. The country has been plagued by so many problems and scams. He's maintained a conspicuous silence. Now he's decided to speak maybe under compulsion," said Ravi Shankar Prasad on behalf of the BJP.
The last few months have seen Dr Singh's government functioning in a continuum of crises. Financial scandals have tumbled out of the offices of some senior ministers. And the high-volume debate over the Lokpal Bill - which has headlined the summer - has left people asking why the Prime Minister isn't offering his opinion on what sort of Bill the government plans to introduce to check corruption.
Activists led by Gandhian Anna Hazare - who describe the government's version of the Lokpal Bill as a "betrayal" have said repeatedly that they don't understand the PM's silence on a matter of such great importance.