In an exclusive interview with The Quint’s Sanjay Pugalia, Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram covers an array of topical issues.
From Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s infamous attack on Dr Manmohan Singh to the SP-Congress alliance in the Uttar Pradesh, Chidambaram raised a number of points during the course of his interaction.
‘BJP Must Learn Its Lessons’
P Chidambaram said the political alliance of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress will play a decisive role in the Assembly elections. PC also predicted that BJP will lose in Uttar Pradesh like it did in Bihar in 2015.
I think Akhilesh Yadav seems to have reinvented himself, and with the new Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance, particularly Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, they have brought new energies into the party
He also said that if Mayawati also surges ahead in the Uttar Pradesh polls, BJP will be relegated to the third place.
BJP is still a cat on the wall. They should have learnt a lesson from their Bihar defeat. For the sake of nation, the party should learn its lesson.P Chidambaram , Former Finance Minister
‘Demonetisation has Caused Long-Term Damage’
Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram attacked the demonetisation move, saying it has caused “long-term damage” to the country.
The Congress MP also pointed out that the narrative around the note ban has constantly been changing.
The narrative changes – initially they said it is for black money, counterfeiting and to stop terror funding. Then they added corruption. After two-three weeks, they realised it won’t make any difference to corruption or black money. In fact, it made many bankers corrupt.P Chidambaram
‘RBI Has Lost Its Credibility’
P Chidambaram asserted that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suffered a loss of credibility in the last six months.
The former Union Finance Minister also expressed disagreement with the central bank’s projections for the economy.
The RBI’s reputation has diminished. It doesn’t enjoy the credibility it did six months ago… Money is available, but who is there to borrow money? Credit growth is the lowest in 40 years. Credit growth to industry turned negative in October and December 2016.P Chidambaram
‘The Leader Elected by AIADMK Isn’t Fit to be CM’
Commenting on Tamil Nadu politics P Chidambaram said that what is happening in Tamil Nadu is a matter of deep regret for people like him. Only a month ago, Panneerselvam was unanimously elected the leader by the AIADMK party. Now what is the sudden provocation to change him, the Congress leader asked. He recalled that political stalwarts like Rajaji, Kamaraj & Annadurai had graced that chair once.
It is the right of the people of AIADMK to elect a leader, but it is the right of the people of the state to ask if the leader you elected deserves to be the leader of Tamil Nadu. I don’t believe the leader they have elected deserves to occupy the post of CM.P Chidambaram, Former Finance Minister
‘PM Modi Descended to a Very Low Level’
Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram hit out at PM Narendra Modi’s speech in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, saying the Prime Minister had “descended to a very low and unacceptable level”.
PM Modi, he remarked, had reverted to being “a stump speaker, a speaker on a political campaign”.
He descended to a very low and unacceptable level and made a direct accusation against Manmohan Singh. It is unbecoming of a PM to descend to that level. I can’t imagine a Jawaharlal Nehru… or even an Atal Bihari Vajpayee speaking in that language. The Prime Minister must emulate, if not a Congress Prime Minister, then his party’s Prime Minister.P Chidambaram
He is the Prime Minister of India, he should speak like a Prime Minister, Chidambaram emphasised.
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