Modi hands-on PM, has the final word: Jaitley

Says unlike Manmohan Singh, Modi is a strong leader

Rejecting criticism that he has concentrated all powers in his hands, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Narendra Modi is a hands-on Prime Minister who listens to everybody but his word is final.

He contrasted this with the 10 years of UPA regime when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had “no actual powers”.

“In a democracy, the Prime Minister always has the last word. And there is nothing wrong in that. Even in Vajpayee government, everybody was consulted but the PM had the last word,” Jaitley told Rajat Sharma on the Aap ki Adalat programme on India TV.

When asked to comment on a description by The Economist magazine that Modi is a “one-man band”, he said he cannot be compared to Singh who was “portrayed as PM in office but not in power” by the same publication, according to a release issued by the channel.

“I have been an admirer of Manmohan Singh for his personal competence but the Congress never gave him a free hand,” Jaitley said.

Stressing the importance of a Prime Minister wielding a real authority, he said, “the nation can't be run under an arrangement where PM has the designation but lacks actual powers. Prime Minister Modi is a very hardworking leader who also accepts his colleagues to be equally hardworking.”