PMO joins Twitter

NEW DELHI:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has joined Twitter to capture the attention of young Indians and inform people about the work done by his office through 140 characters on the microblogging site.

"The Prime Minister's office is now on Twitter @PMOIndia Thank you for your support," Manmohan Singh's newly appointed communications advisor Pankaj Pachauri said on his own Twitter account.

Within hours of opening the account late Monday, Manmohan Singh had attracted nearly 7,000 followers and written three tweets till Tuesday afternoon.

The account refers to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and it would be handled by his media team, PMO sources said.

The prime minister's opponents have been criticising him for maintaining silence over burning issues and remaining inaccessible to the media.

A close aide told IANS that the work done by his office was not being "reflected properly". "The Twitter account may help in sending out the information to larger, particularly young, audiences."

His first three tweets were about a function on bravery awards. This included his picture with the winners.

"You make all of us proud...PM tells young bravehearts," said his last tweet, which provided a link to his public speech at the bravery awards function.

PMO sources said the account was presently managed by his communication team but there was a possibility that Manmohan Singh would send out tweets personally.

The account has already invited a barrage of reactions from people. "The #PMOIndia twitter account is a brilliant attempt to tweet silence in 140 characters," said @RoflIndian.

Soumya Mukherjee @i1_2ramble commented: "So #PMOIndia is a brilliant example of ventriloquism if I am not wrong?".