When I became finance minister in 1991, I discovered that the wealth tax rates income - there was taxation on wealth. It was so atrocious and so high that actually nobody could accumulate money in an honest way. I removed that tax, and the result was that Indian companies for the first time acquired an incentive to grow big, to grow rich.

I have to create in India a macroeconomic environment where the employment in aggregate can go up at a handsome rate. Once that happens, people losing jobs in one sector will not mean that they will become perpetually unemployed. From one sector, they can move on to other sectors.

China's influence is bound to rise.

China is very important. The future growth of China, China's influence is bound to rise.

Indians, we would like to be a part of the nuclear world order, accepting all the responsibilities that go with being a responsible nuclear power, and at the same time enlarging our options with regard to energy security of our country.

In a country where employment opportunities are not growing fast enough, the fear of change tends to be very acute.

Pakistan should be a moderate Islamic state. That it should be a prosperous country is in India's interests, and it is in the world's interests.