Cordiality missing in political discourse: FM

MUMBAI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the current political discourse lacks cordiality and she cannot imagine passing a cup of coffee to a rival. Recalling that the House in Tamil Nadu and Madras Presidency used to have strong debates between Communist leader P Ramamurti and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Sitharaman said Rajaji requested his rival to stop and offered a cup of coffee. “I can’t imagine giving a cup of coffee (now)… it can be grossly misunderstood,” Sitharaman said while speaking at the launch of veteran banker N Vaghul’s book ‘Reflections’ here. Sitharaman also made references to Vaghul’s frequent run-ins with the political executive, saying that wielding of power by a person or those around him can make or break a career. The FM also said for forty years, each government competed with the previous one for showing that they are more socialist than the dispensation that preceded it. She also said that for the first time in India’s history, the budget presented by her in 2021 had a mention of the word “privatisation”, courtesy of the backing of PM.