As ministerial gaffes go, this will rank among the top. At an awards function last week to honour an eminent scientist, a speaker thanked the Finance Minister for a grant of Rs 100 crore to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Speaking later, Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, the chief guest at the function, referred to the remark. “Somebody just mentioned about the Finance Minister once giving Rs 100 crore to the IISc. Which Finance Minister would be brave enough to do so now?” he asked, without realising that the Finance Minister in question was his Cabinet colleague P Chidambaram, who had announced the grant during his Budget speech of 2005.
