Devote totally to Finance Ministry, M Veerappa Moily tells Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily today said Arun Jaitley could not "devote" himself totally to Finance Ministry as he, as the Information and Broadcasting Minister, has to "speak for the government also".

Moily told Jaitley that the additional responsibility "dents" his image as the Finance Minister.

"It is just like a structural engineer doing the work of interior decoration also. You have to speak for the Government also. I do not think that a Finance Minister can be exposed rpt exposed to this kind of a post.

"Being an elder person than you, I think, I have a moral right to say that. The Finance Ministry requires total focus and total attention. It may be that sometimes, you should be really serious...," Moily said participating in a debate on supplementary demands for grants in Lok Sabha.

Though ruling party members tried to interrupt Moily's speech, the Congress leader continued looking at a smiling Jaitley.

"It is all right. He has given up Defence portfolio. But taking over I&B will dent your image as a Finance Minister. This is my advice...," Moily said.

"It is a colorful job, no doubt. We want you to be colourful. But by being a good and sound Finance Minister, you can really be colourful. This is one thing which I would like to say here," he said.

Jaitley, who also holds the finance portfolio, was given the charge of the information and broadcasting ministry in a cabinet reshuffle last month.

He took over from Prakash Javadekar, who now remains the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.