Jaitley compliments Pranab, injects mirth in proceedings

Injecting a note of levity in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Lokpal bill, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley said it was unfortunate that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was not a lawyer and could not argue on both sides.

Injecting a note of levity in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Lokpal bill, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley said it was unfortunate that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was not a lawyer and could not argue on both sides.

Jaitley said his respect for Mukherjee, the government's key troubleshooter and negotiator, was known. Mukherjee was the most senior parliamentarian in both houses, he said.

The leader of Opposition in the upper House, who initiated the debate on the anti-graft Lokpal bill, then went on to say that it was unfortunate that Mukherjee was not a lawyer and could not argue on both sides.

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The comment by the lawyer-politician led to much mirth and the house and even the normally serious Mukherjee, listening intently, burst into laughter.