Quotes from P. Chidambaram

People understand what is good for them in the long run. In the long run, what is good for people is that India's economy continues to grow at clipping pace, 8% and above, that itself brings host of benefits to the people. It brings better roads, it brings better schools, brings more money to the communities, it brings more jobs.

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

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

'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.

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

Pakistan is not a rogue state, but it harbours and covertly supports rogue elements. While war is not the answer, hard or coercive diplomacy could be.

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

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.

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

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

We cannot afford to leave the poor behind.

Congress is not a party which fades when not in power

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.

Police can only act on intelligence.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.