ARUN JAITLEY

Politicians will be politicians, they will have a weakness at times for not seeing beyond their nose.

When the Emergency was proclaimed at midnight on 25 June 1975, they came to arrest me. I managed to escape by going to a friend's house nearby.

In an economy where public spending is extremely important, the governments must spend, they must spend more but at the same time you can't afford to be reckless and do away with all kinds of fiscal prudence.

Logically, a Congress-led government looks difficult.

No election is a single issue election.

Extraordinary situations require an out-of-box thinking. Conventionalists cannot find such solutions.

In the life of any country, the most defining moment is the creation of the country itself.

Hate speech can't be a part of free speech.

Parliament's job is to conduct discussions. But many a time, Parliament is used to ignore issues, and in such situations, obstruction of Parliament is in the favour of democracy. Therefore, parliamentary obstruction is not undemocratic.

If some student belonging to weaker section of society suffers distress, humanity says it must be addressed.

Leaders are judged on merit and not on caste or family names.

Who lives if India doesn't survive?

My own dealings with the RSS and allied organisations have been extremely positive and a pleasant experience.

Surplus RBI reserves can be used for poverty alleviation.

The two most charming politicians who stand out are Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pranab Mukherjee.

Manmohan Singh is the best politician India has seen. I can't say the same about him as an economist.

Only a state with resources can deplete poverty.

The Gandhi family is a pampered lot. They have only dealt with people at their beck and call.

Terror must be attacked from where it originates. Otherwise, you will only be defending yourself against terror.

According to me when former governors join the political mainstream, the whole cause propagated for autonomy of the institutions, itself gets impacted. When they dwell into statements which are politically loaded, rather than during their tenure as a governor, it is far easier to analyse those statements.

Far as the government's reform agenda is concerned, a series of measures have been enacted which should increase the supply potential of the economy.

In a mahagathabandhan, who will use whom and who will trip whom is not clear.

Merely slogans and statements will not remove poverty.

When you become a consultant to a political party, your views are no longer objective. You do it at a cost.

Step by step, brick by brick, the edifice of India's legislature is being destroyed.