PM Silent; PMO Caught Napping

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) it seems has learnt no lessons from the recent controversy over a critical article in the Washington Post against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling him a “tragic figure”. The article had invited thewrath of the PMO, which termed it as "unethical and unprofessionalconduct" by the journalist in question.

The Sunday Indian on Saturday formally approached the PMO for an interview with Pankaj Pachuri, Communications Adviser to the PM, for a story relating to the affairs of the PMO and recent criticism of the PM by the foreign media.

Astonishingly,in an electronic mail sent to us by the PMO, Pachuri replied, “Thank you foryour letter. We regret the Prime Minister will not be able to entertain your request.” We were aghast that the PMO had not even gone through our mail diligently before issuing us a reply. The Sunday Indian had not even asked for an appointment with the Prime Minister but his Communications Adviser!

Moreover, the prompt and obviously rhetorical response to our request made us wonder whether such is and has been the standard reply from the PMO for most media requests it receives.

On being informed about the awkward goof up by the PMO, which obviously did not even go through the contents of the email sent by The Sunday Indian, Pachuri replied, “Sorry sir I don't give interviews.”

In an article titled "India's 'silent' Prime Minister becomes a tragicfigure”, Simon Denyer of the Washington Post had written that the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of a "dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government".

Not many days ago the Time Magazine in its cover story had called the PrimeMinister “The Underachiever”. Dr Manmohan Singh has of late been surrounded by the Coalgate controversy which led to the Opposition stalling the entire Monsoon session of Parliament.

No sooner did the Washington Post article appear, Mr. Pachuri became involved in an embarrassing war of words in full public glare with Simon Denyer, Bureau Chief of the Washington Post, saying that he had given him a ring to point out that his request for an interview was declined "till the Monsoon Session" of the Parliament.

In a terse response to the Washington Post article, Pachuri wrote, "Despite all lines of conversations open, you (Simon Deyner) never got in touch with us forour side of the story.”

 Simon Denyer however maintained that he stood by the story and offered no apology at all.

However days after this full blown public spat with a foreign media outlet, the PMO seems to have characteristically closed ‘all lines of communication’’ again. The casual and careless response to The Sunday Indian’s media interaction request with Pankaj Pachuri is a case in point.

It seems that the babus and advisors at the PMO are over occupied defending the Prime Minister from one scandal and the next. Or is it that they have taken the barbs about his ‘silence’ a little too seriously?

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) it seems has learnt no lessons from the recent controversy over a critical article in the Washington Post against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling him a “tragic figure”. The article had invited thewrath of the PMO, which termed it as "unethical and unprofessionalconduct" by the journalist in question.

The Sunday Indian on Saturday formally approached the PMO for an interview with Pankaj Pachuri, Communications Adviser to the PM, for a story relating to the affairs of the PMO and recent criticism of the PM by the foreign media.

Astonishingly,in an electronic mail sent to us by the PMO, Pachuri replied, “Thank you foryour letter. We regret the Prime Minister will not be able to entertain your request.” We were aghast that the PMO had not even gone through our mail diligently before issuing us a reply. The Sunday Indian had not even asked for an appointment with the Prime Minister but his Communications Adviser!

Moreover, the prompt and obviously rhetorical response to our request made us wonder whether such is and has been the standard reply from the PMO for most media requests it receives.

On being informed about the awkward goof up by the PMO, which obviously did not even go through the contents of the email sent by The Sunday Indian, Pachuri replied, “Sorry sir I don't give interviews.”

In an article titled "India's 'silent' Prime Minister becomes a tragicfigure”, Simon Denyer of the Washington Post had written that the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of a "dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government".

Not many days ago the Time Magazine in its cover story had called the PrimeMinister “The Underachiever”. Dr Manmohan Singh has of late been surrounded by the Coalgate controversy which led to the Opposition stalling the entire Monsoon session of Parliament.

No sooner did the Washington Post article appear, Mr. Pachuri became involved in an embarrassing war of words in full public glare with Simon Denyer, Bureau Chief of the Washington Post, saying that he had given him a ring to point out that his request for an interview was declined "till the Monsoon Session" of the Parliament.

In a terse response to the Washington Post article, Pachuri wrote, "Despite all lines of conversations open, you (Simon Deyner) never got in touch with us forour side of the story.”

 Simon Denyer however maintained that he stood by the story and offered no apology at all.

However days after this full blown public spat with a foreign media outlet, the PMO seems to have characteristically closed ‘all lines of communication’’ again. The casual and careless response to The Sunday Indian’s media interaction request with Pankaj Pachuri is a case in point.

It seems that the babus and advisors at the PMO are over occupied defending the Prime Minister from one scandal and the next. Or is it that they have taken the barbs about his ‘silence’ a little too seriously?

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) it seems has learnt no lessons from the recent controversy over a critical article in the Washington Post against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling him a “tragic figure”. The article had invited thewrath of the PMO, which termed it as "unethical and unprofessionalconduct" by the journalist in question.

The Sunday Indian on Saturday formally approached the PMO for an interview with Pankaj Pachuri, Communications Adviser to the PM, for a story relating to the affairs of the PMO and recent criticism of the PM by the foreign media.

Astonishingly,in an electronic mail sent to us by the PMO, Pachuri replied, “Thank you foryour letter. We regret the Prime Minister will not be able to entertain your request.” We were aghast that the PMO had not even gone through our mail diligently before issuing us a reply. The Sunday Indian had not even asked for an appointment with the Prime Minister but his Communications Adviser!

Moreover, the prompt and obviously rhetorical response to our request made us wonder whether such is and has been the standard reply from the PMO for most media requests it receives.

On being informed about the awkward goof up by the PMO, which obviously did not even go through the contents of the email sent by The Sunday Indian, Pachuri replied, “Sorry sir I don't give interviews.”

In an article titled "India's 'silent' Prime Minister becomes a tragicfigure”, Simon Denyer of the Washington Post had written that the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of a "dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government".

Not many days ago the Time Magazine in its cover story had called the PrimeMinister “The Underachiever”. Dr Manmohan Singh has of late been surrounded by the Coalgate controversy which led to the Opposition stalling the entire Monsoon session of Parliament.

No sooner did the Washington Post article appear, Mr. Pachuri became involved in an embarrassing war of words in full public glare with Simon Denyer, Bureau Chief of the Washington Post, saying that he had given him a ring to point out that his request for an interview was declined "till the Monsoon Session" of the Parliament.

In a terse response to the Washington Post article, Pachuri wrote, "Despite all lines of conversations open, you (Simon Deyner) never got in touch with us forour side of the story.”

 Simon Denyer however maintained that he stood by the story and offered no apology at all.

However days after this full blown public spat with a foreign media outlet, the PMO seems to have characteristically closed ‘all lines of communication’’ again. The casual and careless response to The Sunday Indian’s media interaction request with Pankaj Pachuri is a case in point.

It seems that the babus and advisors at the PMO are over occupied defending the Prime Minister from one scandal and the next. Or is it that they have taken the barbs about his ‘silence’ a little too seriously?

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) it seems has learnt no lessons from the recent controversy over a critical article in the Washington Post against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling him a “tragic figure”. The article had invited thewrath of the PMO, which termed it as "unethical and unprofessionalconduct" by the journalist in question.

The Sunday Indian on Saturday formally approached the PMO for an interview with Pankaj Pachuri, Communications Adviser to the PM, for a story relating to the affairs of the PMO and recent criticism of the PM by the foreign media.

Astonishingly,in an electronic mail sent to us by the PMO, Pachuri replied, “Thank you foryour letter. We regret the Prime Minister will not be able to entertain your request.” We were aghast that the PMO had not even gone through our mail diligently before issuing us a reply. The Sunday Indian had not even asked for an appointment with the Prime Minister but his Communications Adviser!

Moreover, the prompt and obviously rhetorical response to our request made us wonder whether such is and has been the standard reply from the PMO for most media requests it receives.

On being informed about the awkward goof up by the PMO, which obviously did not even go through the contents of the email sent by The Sunday Indian, Pachuri replied, “Sorry sir I don't give interviews.”

In an article titled "India's 'silent' Prime Minister becomes a tragicfigure”, Simon Denyer of the Washington Post had written that the image of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of a "dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government".

Not many days ago the Time Magazine in its cover story had called the PrimeMinister “The Underachiever”. Dr Manmohan Singh has of late been surrounded by the Coalgate controversy which led to the Opposition stalling the entire Monsoon session of Parliament.

No sooner did the Washington Post article appear, Mr. Pachuri became involved in an embarrassing war of words in full public glare with Simon Denyer, Bureau Chief of the Washington Post, saying that he had given him a ring to point out that his request for an interview was declined "till the Monsoon Session" of the Parliament.

In a terse response to the Washington Post article, Pachuri wrote, "Despite all lines of conversations open, you (Simon Deyner) never got in touch with us forour side of the story.”

 Simon Denyer however maintained that he stood by the story and offered no apology at all.

However days after this full blown public spat with a foreign media outlet, the PMO seems to have characteristically closed ‘all lines of communication’’ again. The casual and careless response to The Sunday Indian’s media interaction request with Pankaj Pachuri is a case in point.

It seems that the babus and advisors at the PMO are over occupied defending the Prime Minister from one scandal and the next. Or is it that they have taken the barbs about his ‘silence’ a little too seriously?