Under attack from civil society activists, the media and Opposition parties, voicing the need for him to be more communicative over critical issues facing the nation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is planning to meet tomorrow morning with editors of newspapers and magazines, say sources.
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 controversy 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.
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 controversy 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.
Opposition parties have said the Prime Minister needs to explain the "governance deficit" that they allege has crippled the UPA coalition. 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.
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."
Dr Singh has so far held only three nationally-televised press conferences in the last seven years.
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