New Delhi Sept. 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday strongly rejected suggestions of a “disconnect” between his government and the Congress made it clear he would not ask his ministers to "shut up".
And in only the second time that he spoke on the issue, asserted he is not thinking of early retirement.
He said he saw nothing wrong in the expression of different points of view by his ministers and Congress functionaries because India was a democracy.
Moreover, the Congress was a mass movement in which people express their views, he said. “Allowing people to express views is not necessarily a sign of drift,” he said.
It was necessary, however, that the Cabinet and the government function with a “certain degree of cohesion”, Dr Singh said and added that his Cabinet functioned with a “much greater degree of cohesion” than even the first Cabinet headed by Jawaharlal Nehru when there was almost a daily exchange of letters between Nehru and his deputy Sardar Patel.
There were differences between Indira Gandhi and her deputy Morarji Desai, he pointed out. During Indira Gandhi’s time a group of “Young Turks” led by Chandrashekhar openly constituted a dissident group, the PM said.
Dr Singh’s comments came during an interaction with a group of editors at his official residence here against the backdrop of Congress spokespersons trying to “correct” his senior Cabinet colleagues on ideological and strategic issues, including “Hindu terror” and steps to check Maoists.
The interaction turned into a virtual press conference covering major domestic political issues, the economy and foreign policy.
His remarks came due to perceptions in the media and political circles that there was a disconnect between him and the Congress and criticism that his ministers were openly airing their differences with each other.