Seeking to shrug off the “bully” image he has earned, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday likened himself to Sardar Vallabbhai Patel, the first to occupy the coveted post in Independent India, in getting a job done on time.
“I don’t bully anyone. I try to do my job that way I think
is fit. I think in India if you want to get things done, you have to be firm. There is too much of this ‘chalta hai´ attitude. If you want to get things done on time, one has to be firm,” Chidambaram said here.
Stating that he has only seen the image of Sardar Patel, described as the Iron Man of India by historians, the Home Minister said: “I don’t think anyone called him (Patel) a bully. My demeanour is not half as grave as Patel’s.”
Chidambaram was responding to questions on CNN-IBN if he had changed after becoming the Home Minister, considering that he had held his composure in the shoe-flinging incident involving journalist Jarnail Singh on Tuesday, but known to be a “tough guy” as Finance Minister, with some even calling him a “bully.”