Not sure if Lord Hanuman even had 52-inch chest: P Chidambaram

'Who has a 52-inch chest? I have heard a story from Ramayana, where Lord Hanuman tore opened his chest. I am not sure even Lord Hanuman had a 52-inch chest', former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said while speaking at Tamil Nadu Jamathul Ulama Sabha conference meet here on Saturday.

Chidambaram further lambasted the BJP-led present dispensation on demonestisation and said, "There are several reasons why we oppose this government, like demonetisation. Arvind Subramanian had also said indirectly that it's wrong. All mistakes were done by a single person only. Demonetisation was by one person and GST too is the same."

Talking of his education years, he opined that majoritarianism can lead to authoritarianism.

"I did my education in Christian based school. But my class leader was from a Muslim brotherhood. We never felt a religious difference. When I see now, it gives me pain as majoritarianism is against democracy. Majoritarianism will lead to authoritarianism," he said.

Chidambaram's 52-inch remark could be seen as an apparent jibe on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who during the 2014 election campaign had declared at a rally in Uttar Pradesh that "a 56-inch chest" is a pre-requisite to convert India's most populous state into one as developed as Gujarat.