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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started holding interactive sessions with his party MPs at which he wants them to open up. R Rajagopalan/Rediff.com reports on an unusual political exercise.
On August 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent nearly four hours in an interactive session with nearly 60 BJP members of Parliament from various states at the NDMC Convention Hall in Parliament Street discussing the performance of his government.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting that lasted from 7 pm to 11 pm, with Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah also being present. Prime Minister Modi himself sat among the MPs, listening to their grievances.
The initiative, part of the prime minister's outreach to MPs, is the second of the series, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj chairing the first. Modi has so far met 120 MPs, the brief for them being clear: 'Identity issues where the BJP government has gone, you talk as much you want, and I don't want anyone to praise me.'
At Tuesday's session, a few MPs sought a hike in the member of Parliament local area development scheme funds from the present Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore, while some from Uttar Pradesh complained about Samajwadi Party government not allowing them to use their development funds. At this point, the PM intervened and asked the MPs to mention things wrong with the Centre, and that he was “not here to hear about the performance of other governments”.
Next on the anvil, on August 10, is Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, soon to be followed by ministers Nitin Gadkari and Manohar Parrikar.
Modi tells the MPs he wants to hear criticism about the functioning of his government.
“Do not tell me in person, please share your thoughts with fellow MPs. Let there be a lesson learnt; if the BJP is to stay in government for many more years to come we have to straighten up first,” -- is another message from Modi during these sessions.
The sessions are of an interactive nature, with Modi often intervening, putting forth questions, and listening to his MPs. He also narrates old stories to correlate the past to the present situation. Typically, the meets do not have a PA system so the MPs have to use their lung power to make themselves heard.
That is not all. At times, Modi has also taken to driving to the residences of Union ministers for breakfast, lunch or dinner and engages with them on issues facing his government.
And starting September, the prime minister plans to invite chief ministers and MLAs from BJP-run states for similar interactive luncheons.
Naturally, political circles in New Delhi are agog with speculation as to why Prime Minister Modi is indulging in this exercise. Is it because he anticipates a political threat from within, or is it another innovative idea he wants to implement, to break out of the echo chamber prime ministers usually find themselves confined to?
Alas, there are no answers forthcoming on this one.