Jaitley and Ramesh indulge in light hearted banter

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : May 13 2016 | 7:14 PM IST
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and outgoing Rajya Sahha member and Congress leader Jairan Ramesh today indulged in a light hearted banter and used cricket to take on each other.
The first to bowl was Ramesh, who called Jaitley a "master spinner of facts".
Calling Jaitley and him "sparring partners", Ramesh, who was giving his farewell speech in the Rajya Sahha, said people have been taught to spin khadi by Mahatma Gandhi but Leader of House "spins facts".
"He is a master spinner of facts. And all I can say is that he combines in him, guile of Bailey, the flight of Prasanna, the length of Venkat Raghavan and the shooters of Chandrashekhar. There has been very little spinners like him," he said advising Jaitley that "at some point of time, stop spinning and start governing".
Talking about his farewell to the House, Ramesh quoted cricketer Vijay Merchant and said when he was asked why he had announced his retirement after playing a good innings, the batsman replied replied, "it is better to go when people ask why is he going rather than why isn't he going".
Jaitley in his address referred to the relationship he had with Ramesh and said the "love" between them is old.
He said both smiled at each other even before entering the Parliament.
"I want to correct him for the last time. It (retirement quotes) was said by Sunil Gavaskar and not Vijay Merchant," he said as Ramesh chipped in and shouted, "this is also a spin".
A smiling Jaitley said, "It was Sunil Gavaskar. He played a wonderful innings but suddenly announced his retirement. People asked why? He replied saying you must retire when people say why and not when why not. But I think you have a long innings to play".
Hoping that Ramesh will be back in Parliament, the Finance Minister said the Congress leader has seen a lot of evolution.
"I knew you when you were an economic liberal. And I have seen your transformation to an economic conservative. And I think whatever be your viewpoint, the country probably, and his party needs it and I am sure they will put his services to the best of use," Jaitley said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 13 2016 | 7:14 PM IST

Next Story