'Shocked' to see schism within Govt departments, says PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Expressing dismay over the manner of governance before he came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said there were "dozens of governments" within a government and that he has initiated steps to "demolish walls" that had come up between various departments.

"I was an outsider to Delhi. When I took an insider view, I was shocked at what I saw. There were dozens of governments within a government," he said in his maiden Independence Day address.

"People used to consider departments as their personal fiefdom. I saw there was disintegration and fights between departments. These fights landed up in the Supreme Court. How can you go forward in this situation?," Modi said.

Making it clear that his comments should be not be seen from a political prism, he said, "I have started demolishing these walls to ensure that the government worked not as an assembled entity but as an organic body. The government has to move with one idea, one direction and one view".