Montek frowns and praises

IN Media Watch Briefs | 23/10/2011

The session on the Planning Commission at the Economic Editors’ Conference saw deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia being quite sharp with the press. When asked about differences between the Planning Commission and the UIAI (whose head Nandan Nilekani was sitting next to him) Ahluwalia said there were no differences. And then he went on about how all kinds of `nonsensical’ reports had been published without once asking the Planning Commission for its version. Only one newspaper, Mint, he said, had taken the trouble of contacting him while he was abroad. Later, when a Mint reporter identified herself while asking Nilekani a question, he waited till Nilekani had answered and then said – did you say your name was Sangeeta Singh? Aren’t you the person who contacted me? Then he turned to the assembled journalists and said he was quite happy to praise her publicly. Wonder if the others got the message.

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