P Chidambaram says mother, Harvard taught him value of hard work

NEW DELHI: Even though Narendra Modi is yet to contest a Lok Sabha election, his shadow loomed large on Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s budget speech. Chidambaram and Modi revived a feud sparked by the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate in Chennai on February 8—when he referred to the former’s Harvard education and the slow down of the economy to make a case for hard work rather than Harvard.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate has been speaking about his humble origins as a tea vendor’s son, as compared to Ivy league educated ministers of the UPA government.

He was especially harsh on finance minister P Chidambaram when he said, “UPA government has a Recounting Minister. He lost (the election) but won in recounting. He is from Tamil Nadu. He thinks he was the first in the queue when God was distributing knowledge.”

He suggested there be a contest between him and Chidambaram and said “you are educated from a big university. I am from a poor background from a small village. The Finance Minister is from Harvard. I am from hard-work. Do we need Harvard or hard work for the development of the country?"

Chidambaram responded in his Monday speech: “My mother and Harvard taught me the value of hard work,” while elaborating on how the government worked extra hard to contain the current account deficit which had been in a critical state when he took over finance ministery. He also quoted Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar for good measure and in a decidedly pointed reference to the polarisation that Modi is said to inspire.

“Not with the spear but the sceptre of equity, that brings success to a monarch’s might.” He also said that the UPA government (seemingly in contrast to Modi’s style) used “neither populism, nor majoritarianism or individualism” to govern.