Some ‘PMO’ ammo for Shotgun fire

If anyone needs image building in the Vajpayee Government, it’s Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha, who is under fire for his absence fro...

If anyone needs image building in the Vajpayee Government, it’s Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha, who is under fire for his absence from the Parliament and his ministry. And who better to scrub the flak off the Shotgun than the Prime Minister’s speech writer, spin doctor and emissary, Sudheendra Kulkarni.

Kulkarni, who also wears the hat of media advisor in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, has crafted a seven-point programme designed to project Sinha as a ‘‘busy’’ minister with ‘‘innovative’’ schemes. One suggestion: take a leaf out of the Thailand Government’s book and organise a ‘‘mega physical exercise event’’ in which the Prime Minister and other celebrities participate. This should be implemented soon, says Kulkarni.

Another idea is to reform the medical education sector to make it attractive to international students. After all, Kulkarni observes, the US earns US $ 12 billion every year from foreign students. Other suggestions include tighter monitoring of healthcare systems in the states, setting up an expert committee to project the National Health Policy, energising Ayurveda and other Indian systems of medicine and starting a two-year medical diploma course for doctors who can work in the rural outback.

Story continues below this ad

Sinha told The Indian Express that he has known Kulkarni for a long time, and that the suggestions were from a ‘‘friend’’. ‘‘Many of his ideas have been in my mind for a long time and I have had a preliminary discussion with the PM on some of them.’’

But the buzz in official circles isn’t over the ‘‘innovative’’ schemes. As a PMO official, Kulkarni is bound by a directive from Vajpayee which makes it clear that all communication from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to union ministers and MPs will be addressed by Vajpayee himself.

Kulkarni’s brief as I&B media advisor hasn’t been spelt out beyond saying that he will assist the Principal Information Officer.

To be on the safe side, Kulkarni has used his personal letterhead to send his suggestions to Sinha so that he does not invite criticism of a breach of protocol. But the frequency with which he drops the Prime Minister’s name in the letter hints at the special status he enjoys in the Government.

Story continues below this ad

As Kulkarni says in his letter, ‘‘The public image of Atal Behari Vajpayee is that he is a compassionate Prime Minister. It should be our effort to further reinforce this image with a great new initiative in healthcare.’’

In this context, he advises Sinha to make the Health Ministry a partner with Indian Railways to launch a sanitation drive in railway stations across the country. This should become a part of the Operation Cleanliness Scheme the Prime Minister announced in his Independence Day address, Kulkarni suggests.

‘‘Dear Shatrughanji, you are a great communicator. You should become the great champion of healthcare and healthy living in India,’’ the letter concludes.

EXCLUSIVE: EC brings in feature to check misuse of identity to seek voter list deletions

Political Pulse1 hr ago

The Election Commission has launched a new 'e-sign' feature on its portal and app to prevent fraud. This comes after allegations of misuse of online voter deletion forms in Karnataka. The feature requires voters to verify their identity using their Aadhaar-linked phone numbers, reducing the possibility of fraud.

View all shorts

Live Blog