When former PM Manmohan Singh got candid about his years in office... #TBT
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00:00I was not the prime minister who was afraid of talking to the press.
00:06So, people say I was accidental prime minister. I was also accidental finance minister.
00:15I certainly would like to say that I was not the prime minister who was afraid of talking to the press.
00:25I met the press regularly and on every foreign trip that I undertook, I had a press conference on return.
00:45In the plane, I went to the office as usual. Nassim Rao ji was searching for me and he traced me to the UGC and he said,
00:56where are you? I said, I am in the UGC. He said, hasn't Dr. Alexander mentioned to you what we have for you?
01:07I said, I didn't take him very seriously. Nassim Rao ji said, no, you go and get dressed up and come for the swearing in ceremony.
01:23So that's how I became the finance minister. So, people say I was accidental prime minister.
01:31I was also accidental finance minister.
01:41Nassim Rao ji called me and I met him. I said to him that the country is in great difficulties.
01:54It requires hard thinking and very tough decision making process to get the country out of the crisis that she was in.
02:06Nassim Rao ji said, I don't understand all this, but we will give you a free hand with the understanding that if things go well, we will all take credit.
02:17But if things go wrong, well, you will be the scapegoat. I said, I accept that, but you will have to back me.
02:27And Nassim Rao ji did back me on every stage.