New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Ruling out an early retirement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday spiked speculation about a growing disconnect between his government and the Congress party, saying different views were not ‘necessarily a bad thing’.
In an interaction with a group of editors at his residence, Manmohan Singh said he was not thinking of retiring and indicated that he would ‘look at options’ of a cabinet reshuffle before the winter session of parliament beginning Nov 7.
Manmohan Singh said that there was nothing wrong in ministers and party functionaries expressing different points of view, and stressed that the Congress party was a movement. Differences in opinion naturally surface, as happens in a democracy, Singh said.
While allowing for differing opinions, the prime minister said it was necessary for the cabinet and the government to function with a ‘certain degree of cohesion’.
However, he stressed that his cabinet had functioned with a ‘much greater degree of cohesion’ than even the first cabinet headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Manmohan Singh cited an almost daily exchange of letters between Nehru and his deputy Sardar Patel and differences between Indira Gandhi and her deputy Morarji Desai to underline that differences of opinion ‘were not a bad thing’.
