At a meeting this week with all state governors where select cabinet ministers were also present along with the prime minister, president Pranab Mukherjee ensured that the government was made accountable. He also secured assurances from the prime minster on the issues raised by the governors, ranging from left-wing extremism to CBI cases against retired and retiring top bureaucrats.

The governors’ conference was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday and Tuesday. On the first day, Mukherjee pulled up Mehalaya governor Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary, asking him not only to stop his arguments on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), but also advising him not to mention the Bodo issue. "I have dealt with this subject, I have more inputs. No deviation from the main agenda: now you speak on other issues," Mukhrejee reportedly told Mooshahary.

When Gujarat governor Kamala Beniwal went on slowly reading 36 pages, Mukherjee didn’t mince words and told her to say that her speech could be taken as read.

Mukhrejee also got prime minister Manmohan Singh to react to the submissions of the governors. For example, Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan said the centre should not be vindictive and IAS-IPS officials should get post-retirement protection. The PM gave the assurance that the issue raised by Narasimhan would be given due consideration and the government will come out with a policy.

Narasimhan and his West Bengal counterpart MK Narayanan wanted a policy on coordinating anti-Maoist operations in their states. Manmohan Singh assured them that the government would address this important issue.

In his interventions, Narayanan was cautious in quoting facts and figures knowing well that the president knew ground situation in the state very well.

When Odisha governor Murli Kant Bhandare went on arguing his state’s case Mukherjee twice pressed the bell to indicate that his allotted time of 14 minutes was over. Then he announced, “Mr Bhandare, your allotted time is over," and called the next governor to speak.

Mukherjee announced that all governors should take a tour of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the visitors were taken on a tour conducted by the president’s secretary Omita Paul.

For the first time, insiders say, the president wanted a small group of cabinet ministers to be present at the governors’ conference. On earlier occasions the entire cabinet used to be present. Mukherjee also kept austerity measures in mind and did not host programmes other than the group meetings.

Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah talked about the law and order in his state, while his Goa counterpart BV Wanchoo Goa raised the issue of ban on mining in the state.

A governor later said the president conducted the conference very efficiently. Interestingly, there were seven governors who are on an extended term.