P Chidambaram
P Chidambaram is former Finance minister of India.
Articles By P Chidambaram
$5 trillion economy is not an extraordinary goal
The CEA has good reason to be worried about the insufficiency of domestic resources. Government/ public investment can be made only out of tax revenues and public sector surpluses. Of these, tax revenues are under pressure. 2018-19 was a particularly dismal year; yet the government has set aggressive targets for tax revenues in 2019-20. Evidently, the CEA does not share the government’s optimism.
7% growth will mean little or nothing to the poor, unemployed and exploited sections
Seven per cent growth will be totally insufficient to create wealth or enhance welfare. Seven per cent growth will not generate the millions of jobs that are required. Seven per cent growth will not raise the per capita income of the lowest deciles (the bottom 20 per cent) of the population.
How far did Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget advance the goal set by the Economic Survey?
The government has chosen to do incremental reforms. The 13 economists — all Indians or of Indian origin — will be disappointed. So will be many who were rooting for radical reforms.
Modi’s slogan of One Nation, One Election is the new distracting tactic
Mr Narendra Modi successfully fused Pulwama and Balakot. Anyone questioning the intelligence failure in Pulwama (and the tragic loss of 40 lives) was mischievously interpreted as if he was questioning the IAF’s success in Balakot, and labelled an anti-national.
The small-g government has failed the big-G government
There is a huge gap between intention and implementation. Why? We are hesitant to say it, but it must be said: within the Government (with a capital G) there is another government (with a small g). It is the small-g government that has failed the big-G government as well as the people.
No Finance Minister (FM) starts on a clean slate
The slate is always full of writing — some helpful, some harmless, some a headache and some a hindrance!
Across the aisle: Will Mr Modi win sabka vishwas?
There is something that Modi has discerned which, perhaps, others in his party have failed to grasp: that it is not enough to get the votes of the Dalits, the Muslims, the Christians and the very poor, it is necessary to win their trust.
Across the aisle: How it can be sabka vikas
The key idea — and the one that will be most disruptive — is decentralisation. The short-term results may be unsatisfactory but in the medium to long term, better governed states will deliver better outcomes than at present and that will make the people demand better governance at the state level.
There are and will be differences among the party-contenders for the right to govern India
The results of Election 2019 cannot be regarded as a decisive choice of one vision over the others. Even more true, religion can never trump language or culture.
In Lok Sabha elections campaign, we have seen an abundance of everything except debates on policies
There is no denying that abuses and epithets were hurled across the net but, in the melee, even sarcasm and allusion were labelled unparliamentary!
When management of economy is entrusted to novices or tyrants, consequences will soon follow
Managing India’s economy is playing in a different league. Successful chief ministers have floundered when appointed finance minister.
With every new speech, PM Modi is testing limits of liberty a person may take with truth
There are so many real issues on which the PM can speak and so much the people want to hear from the PM. But for strange reasons, Mr Modi will not talk about his party’s manifesto, unemployment and jobs, farmers’ distress and debt...
Abuse was the first weapon in the BJP campaign
With every irresponsible utterance, India will descend one step on the ladder of civil discourse in a democracy. What is ultimately in danger is not the discourse but democracy itself.
Across the aisle: Mr Modi vs manifesto
Listen to any speech of Mr Modi. Apart from the usual quota of falsehoods and abuse of the Gandhi family, Mr Modi will launch into the Congress manifesto, erect imaginary ghosts and pretend to slay them. Mr Modi has realised the power of the ideas contained in the Congress manifesto
Across the aisle: A tale of two manifestos – between a Modi-centric and a people-sourced approach
The main reason for the difference that runs through all the pages of the two manifestos is the difference between a Modi-centric approach and a people-sourced approach. The BJP’s manifesto is limited by Mr Modi’s knowledge and his unwillingness to listen to wise men and women.
Across the aisle: Congress manifesto takes battle to BJP
The BJP has not released its manifesto yet. The first phase of polling is on April 11, barely four days from Sunday. I suspect that the BJP is revising its draft manifesto hurriedly to counter the Congress’s. That is good. Let the BJP engage in a battle of ideas.
Across the aisle: Nyay for the very poor
We can be legitimately proud that millions of people have escaped the vicious grip of poverty.
Across the aisle: Want managers, not just watchmen
Governance, under the BJP, has become a circus. There is a ringmaster, but there are no lions or tigers. The whip is cracked on lambs and rabbits.
Across the aisle: Mr Modi’s Balakot dream
The IAF belongs to the country and made every Indian proud. Pulwama was a failure of the government, Balakot was the success of the IAF, the retaliation by Pakistan the next day was another failure of the government.
The anti-national newspaper!
It is a mystery why the Prime Minister’s Office held parallel negotiations undermining the efforts of the INT. It is a mystery why the three anti-corruption clauses were deleted. It is a mystery why the payment security system was jettisoned... The facts point to an oblique purpose. The CAG had a duty to probe these mysterious aspects and bring out the truth. He failed the country.
