P. Chidambaram Quotes

"Once the war of words begins, truth is the casualty."

"Evidence points out that if you raise tariffs too much it will increase smuggling."

"People are wiser than we are willing to attribute to them."

"I think people respect governments that take decisions and act decisively."

"I have maintained that the people of India are ahead of their governments. The people of India are at least 10 to 15 years ahead of their governments."

"We cannot afford to leave the poor behind."

"All wisdom does not reside in Delhi."

"In income tax, there is no case for amnesty."

"Not all ideas will be accepted, but every idea deserves its own space, and every idea deserves to be expressed."

"Growth is a panacea for many ills in society; not entirely, but many."

"A government can do only what is feasible given the political and economic context."

"Independence is a very subjective assessment."

"I don't think we should label budgets even before the budget is presented."

"Two successive commissioners in London police were fired by the mayor that came into office. That doesn't mean the police in London is not independent and does not exercise powers. Ultimately it is the political executive that has to answer."

"The police force cannot be completely independent of the executive government."

"I respect the view of a rating agency, but I do not make a budget for the rating agency. I make a budget for the people of India."

"Let me tell you, very frankly, when I went to the Harvard Business School I was more or less a committed socialist."

"When I came back to India after Harvard Business School, I started as a lawyer and as a trade union leader."

"'Big business' was a bad phrase in India. To be accused of being big business was the worst accusation you could make. All that has gone now. The whole mindset has changed."

"The voter does not vote only on one issue, the voter votes on a multiplicity of issues."

"If you go back to any period in India's history, all the hard decisions this country had to take were taken when the Congress was in power."

"Criticism of a policy is welcome. But in the garb of criticizing a policy, if you allege that the policy was made for corrupt purposes, I reject it."

"Today, to allege corruption seems to be the pastime of most people. All kinds of allegations are leveled. I think it is self-defeating."

"Police can only act on intelligence."

"It is possible that, post-Kyoto, the developed countries will recognise the requirements of the developing world."

"I firmly believe that the Constitution is the most powerful challenge to illiberal tendencies. If the Constitution is followed in letter and spirit and if the laws are made in the spirit in which Constitution was made, liberties can indeed be protected."

"I don't think anyone has qualms in saying victory to the people of India. But when a political party appropriates such a slogan and says this is the definition of patriotism, those who say it are patriotic and those who don't are not patriotic, then I reject that definition."

"I think preaching equality among unequals is the worst form of discrimination."

"I belong to the Congress. My party has always supported prohibition, though it may not have been successful in implementing prohibition in many states."

"Corruption is not the sole test of your worthiness to form the government."