Party line

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's press conference last week hit the headlines in almost all dailies, even though he did not say anything startlingly novel. No doubt, an explanation for the wide coverage can be found in the fact that this was only the third press conference by the prime minister in his 10 years in office. But Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari did not seem to have issues with Singh's underwhelming performance because he was delighted with the wide publicity for the event, which he moderated for the first time. He was happy enough, at any rate, to throw a thank-you party for officials and staff of the Press Information Bureau at the newly-inaugurated National Media Centre on Monday for their efforts in organising the conference.