Not retiring from politics, says Chidambaram

SIVAGANGA: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today denied reports that he would be retiring from politics, saying he was only giving way to youngsters to revive Congress and "rejuvenate" it.

"A section of press reports that I am going to retire from politics. I am not retiring...I am only giving way to the youngsters. Youth should be fielded to rejuvenate the party," he said.

While speaking at Pudukottai two days back, he had said he would step down from electoral politics and choose to serve the people following the path of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing a series of election meetings in his constituency here, he claimed that the main contestants in the coming Lok Sabha polls are Congress and BJP.

He recalled that former BJP leader and Prime Minister Vaypayee was a fair and a dignified man. "But his Government was not fair and dignified."

The Finance Minister then lashed out at BJP, saying the party was born out of "communal fanaticism" and was one of the faces of RSS, which did not have any woman leader in the organisation, nor any Muslim, Christian or Dalit.

Chidambaram also listed out the development activities initiated and implemented by the Congress-led UPA government, including expansion of NTC textile mills and BHEL unit.