Quotes from Arun Jaitley

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

There are occasions when obstruction in Parliament brings greater benefits to the country.

Narendra Modi promised a future and represented a hope. He wanted to rid the nation of a non-performing, corrupt government. People voted for him.

I think the Indian media suffers from a feudal mindset.

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

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.

Surplus RBI reserves can be used for poverty alleviation.

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

Who lives if India doesn't survive?

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

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

Parliamentary obstructionism should be avoided. It is a weapon to be used in the rarest of the rare cases. Parliamentary accountability is as important as parliamentary debate. Both must coexist.

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

What makes the BJP or its government of Modi a brand for the elections - it is some content that makes the brand. Hollowness cannot create a brand, chest-thumping can't create a brand. Ultimately, the quality of the product creates a brand.

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

I've always had full confidence in the professionalism and the assessment of the armed forces.

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.

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

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.

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

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

A finance minister should have a basic understanding of the country, know where the shoe pinches and, hence, have some compassion in policy formulation. An ability to understand economic issues should certainly be there.

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

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.