Modi warns ministers on sting ops

Asks them to be simple and mingle with public

“Every body is after us. Be cautious about sting operations.” This was the warning given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his ministerial colleagues.

In the two-hour marathon meeting with his Council of Ministers at his residence on Monday night, Modi is learnt to have asked ministers not to entertain unknown persons and suspicious characters too much.

Reminding them about the sting operations that had happened embarrassing the previous NDA government - for instance,  BJP national President Bangaru Laxman was caught on camera while taking money in a stage-managed sting operation - the PM has reportedly suggested that his ministers not get trapped in such activities.

Asking them to shed privileges like security and red light on top of the car, he reportedly said the ministers should try to be as simple as possible, mingle with the public and be courteous to all.

The PM also asked the ministers be friendly with opposition political leaders and MPs regardless of their parties and hear their voices too. While asking them to be good at heart, he also suggested that there is nothing wrong if ministers invited opposition party leaders and MPs for dinner and lunch to keep them in good humour, sources told Deccan Herald.

Asking them not to show any partiality in allocating funds to any states or any projects, he said, ‘We were here to serve the people and for us all are equal.”

Advising his colleagues not to extend any favours to any of their family members and friends, he reportedly said that ministers should have good relations with bureaucrats and try to extract work from them.

“Ministers should encourage bureaucracy to get innovative ideas and try to implement it in the departments in the interest of public,” Modi said, adding that “The ministers are free to rope in the services of experts and technocrats if they found it would benefit the schemes”. 

In the meeting, which was also addressed by BJP president Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Modi said “As people’s expectations are very high, we all should work hard to fulfill their needs.”

Warning the ministers not to talk too much, the senior leaders were also advised that “The people will judge us in works and not speech,” sources said. After the meeting, during dinner, the PM freely mingled with all the ministers, sources said.