The core seven: Making the government's voice heard

New Delhi: Under relentless attack for its acts of omissions and commissions, the UPA government has finally realised the value of reaching out to the media. It is now making its voice heard through a group of seven senior ministers who meet or interact daily to devise a media strategy on the issues of the day.

"The government's image was getting a knocking. The media was writing all kinds of things, creating a wrong public perception. So the prime minister ordered setting up of a GoM media (Group of Ministers)," a senior official who did not wish to be identified told IANS.

An example of the government's pro-active media outreach - previously it was only speaking through party spokesmen - was when Baba Ramdev announced that he was continuing his fast June 4 despite his apparent assurance to government representatives that he would break his fast the same day.

This was when the ministers decided to turn the heat on Ramdeve and "expose" Ramdev by revealing his close aide Acharya Balakrishna's hand-written promise on breaking the fast.

Government interlocutor Kapil Sibal went public with the letter. Within minutes the 100-odd journalists at the Ramlila ground -- the venue of the fast -- grilled the yoga guru on his volte face.

This caught Ramdev by surprise as he had not realised that such privileged information would have reached the media so quickly.

"It is for the first time that a coordinated effort was made by the government to reach out to the media and give them the government's view on an emerging situation," the official said.

"The government matched step by step all of Ramdev's contentions. This has never happened before," the official added.

The official said all this happened because of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to form a core group of ministers to keep the media regularly informed on government policies and actions.

"There was a feeling that more than the government it was the party which was giving views on any situation. The media was not getting the government's views. This was giving a wrong signal that it is not pro-active," the official told IANS.

After the crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters June 4 night, the core group justified the police action, giving reasons for it.

The need for such a group was felt as an aggressive opposition was cornering the government on a series of corruption charges, which were hurting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s image.

"It's over a month and we can see a change. Now the government's views are getting space in television and newspapers," the official added.

The GoM - chaired by Home Minister P. Chidambaram - meets every day and discusses issues or controversial matters that it will take up for the day. The GoM meets the media at least three times in a week.

The members - Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.K. Bansal, Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy - were selected for their administrative and political standing.

If the ministers are not in town, they speak to one another over phone or send their representatives. Sometimes, answers are sought from different agencies and ministries.

The aim of the group is not only to counter negative perceptions of the government but to feed the media with positive stories on developmental and other areas.

Said Neelam Kapur, Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau (PIB): "Now, a streamlined view of the government is being presented. It helps to project a pro-active government which is not shying away from answering controversial questions.

"We want to also project that the government is transparent," said Kapur, who is present at the meetings.

"The PIB provides strategic inputs and coordinates with the government. Our work has become more streamlined and focussed," Kapur told IANS.

The need to set up a GoM was also felt due to the changing face of the media.

"The media scene has changed over the years with multiple news channels, newspapers and websites. The government felt their views need to be presented," Kapur added.

There are over 600 TV channels and over 10,000 newspapers in India.

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(Photo: V.V. Krishnan/ The Hindu)