The last word

Do women always have to get the last word? That, at least, is what happened at a recent post-Budget meeting between finance ministry officials with members of industry chamber Ficci. The chamber's past president Y K Modi asked the last question seeking Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram's views on an issue. "The last word should always be with Mr Modi," Mayaram said tongue-in-cheek, referring to both the Modis (Y K Modi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi). Following this, when Ficci President Sidharth Birla asked its Senior Vice-President Jyotsna Suri to give a vote of thanks, she said, "With all due respect to Mr Modi and YK Modi, the last word is with me!"