Several Congress ministers eyeing finance ministry job?

With Pranab Mukherjee out of the finance ministry, several Congress ministers have become very vocal on economic issues. Do they have an eye on the top job at North Block?



Veerappa Moily, Corporate affairs minister (June 27): I don’t think that a comment or a reflection on the leadership of a respective country can be a subject matter of credit rating agencies which should keep themselves confined to economic parameters ...

Just because last two quarters have not been that good, doesn’t mean there is an economic tsunami. There is no economic crisis in the country ... Credit rating agencies will need to redesign some of their parameters and confine to economic parameters when rating countries.



Jairam Ramesh, Rural Development Minister in a recent letter to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi:

Rein in fiscal deficit, decontrol diesel, cooking gas prices, tax SUVs.

Cut ministries’ spending by 5%

Clear FDI in aviation, retail.

Get clarity on Gaar rules



Anand Sharma, Commerce minister (June 27): We welcome another $5 billion investment by Coca Cola and 1.5 billion euros by IKEA is coming in. It is good news and things are moving. It’s not that we have lost our direction. We have not.



P Chidambaram, home minister: There is a sense of concern about the downturn. But India remains the fastest growing economy in the world.