Prime Minister's office (PMO)

The Prime Minister's office(PMO) has always been a power centre right from Pandit Nehru's days. M O Mathai was literally the lord of all that he surveyed till he was tripped. R K Dhawan wielded the stick with ease. V. George was the Garuda of Rajiv Gandhi. A N Varma was the power behind the throne. Brajesh Mishra was the CEO.

But now, the current PMO is not seen with such awe. Does its lacklustre image speak of its ineffectiveness or reflect its "rulebook" stance on issues, refusing to turn into a trading house.

Be that as it may, UPA alliance partners without exception do not look up to the PMO for a solution but turn to 10, Janpath for a reconciliation. Perhaps, it is the honey-and-bee story. To lend credence to this theory, the numbers of letters from Chief Ministers to the Prime Minister have reduced drastically of late.

Many Chief Ministers do not feel inclined to write to the Prime Minister in view of the curt conventional replies. Or they are told that the issue was being dealt with at the level of the empowered group of ministers (eGOMs) and hence the policy is subject to its decision.

In terms of integrity, none can point an accusing finger at the present PMO. But the flip side is that many would prefer a single power centre instead of several. For instance, there are at least four or five power centres in the present UPA Government !! So why approach the PMO and instead deal with the power centre(s) !!