Arun Shourie lecture: ORF Mumbai

Dec 9, 2013

Ideas 2014: Arun Shourie talks about good governance, UPA's failures

Jan 7, 2014

In a special CNN-IBN series on Ideas 2014, Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose speaks to former minister in the Vajpayee government Arun Shourie on the issue of good governance which is the buzz word ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Shourie says, "Good governance means improvement in delivery of services, expeditious implementation of project, revival of investment climate." He adds that the biggest failure of UPA was "Manmohan Singh took away from India the sense of possibility."

Arun Shourie backs Modi, says no reason to apologise for 2002 riots

Jan 6, 2014

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under sharp criticism by former NDA minister Arun Shourie for his comments on Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Shourie has accused Singh of destroying the Prime Minister's post. Singh in a press conference recently had said that Modi as the PM would be disastrous for the country.

Defending Modi, Shourie also added that there was no reason for him to apologise for the 2002 riots.

Secularism the word has been prostituted: Arun Shourie

Published on Dec 13, 2013


Former Union Minister, Author and Columnist believes that Secularism doesn't capture the essence of the pluralism that distinguishes India.

China poses bigger threat than Pakistan: Arun Shourie

BJP leader and noted journalist Arun Shourie on Friday warned that China was a bigger threat to India than Pakistan.
In a talk on his newly-launched book, ‘Self Deception: India China Policies’ during the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture event, Shourie said 2014 was crucial year for India not only because it would be distracted with polls but also because the US would be withdrawing from Afghanistan.
In a bid to ensure that their defeat was not a rout, Americans would need support of Pakistan. This meant that it will give Pakistan more freedom to increase its anti-India activities.
Except deflecting it back to India, Shourie said, Pakistan had no option to escape the monster of terrorism it had created in its own soil.
But he said India had to take advantage of the fact that the Taliban of Afghanistan too had its issues with Pakistan. In that sense Pakistan was more manageable than China, which was certainly the biggest threat. He said China had a clear view of its own and had benchmarked itself with the US.
In China, there was a perception that India did not mind losing territory. If a claim is made long enough, India would get used to it.
“Claim and grab is their policy. If we are not careful, Aksai Chin would be repeated,” he said. He said there was already a reaction against China in Asia owing to its aggressive posture on territorial claims. It was necessary for India that it took advantage of the situation and formed alliances.
Tughlak Editor Cho Ramaswamy said that the Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was “Godsend” to the nation now and was essential for the nation to come out of the overall tragedy in governance it was facing. He said facts brought out in Shourie’s book showed how naive our leaders could be.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/China-poses-bigger-threat-than-Pakistan-Arun-Shourie/2013/10/19/article1843428.ece

Arun Shourie at Manthan Samvaad 2013

Arun Shourie, India's most respected public intellectual, speaks on 'What will it take to face up to China?' at Manthan Samvaad 2013, at Hyderabad, India. Oct 2, 2013.

Political Capital - Minority Share Sale Is Worst Divestment

Published on Sep 30, 2013

The FM realises that he is 'pumping air into corpses', says Arun Shourie, Senior BJP Leader. NDA just built on what previous governments did on divestment, he says, adding that selling minority shares is the worst form of disinvestment as it is done out of desperation on deficit. "The FM had also committed to divesting ownership of ill companies but UPA has been unable to do that," he adds.

Political Capital - RBI Not Responsible For Fiscal Problems

Published on Sep 30, 2013

The rupee fall is a consequence of fiscal deficit problems and not the cause, Senior BJP Leader Arun Shourie says. Subsidy growth and populist schemes have bloated the deficit, he says, pointing out that monetary policy is not the instrument to curb food inflation. He says that the government has constantly passed the buck and blamed the RBI. The criticism of D. Subbarao was unjustified and orchestrated, he says, adding that the investment climate was not vitiated due to RBI's policy stance.

Political Capital - No Implicit Faith Between PM & Ministers:

Published on Sep 30, 2013

All key infra ministers enjoyed PM's full backing in the NDA regime, Senior BJP Leader Arun Shourie says, adding that civil servants do not have faith in ministers today. NDA's ministers had competence in their sectors, but now roads projects are treated like ATMs, he says. "One simply cannot burden exchequer with power subsidies; the user must pay the cost incurred for supplying power," he says, adding that the government must be truthful about what it can't afford.

Political Capital - Judiciary Has Become Another Govt In Itself: Arun Shourie

Published on Sep 30, 2013

BJP Senior Leader Arun Shourie sees a breakdown of discipline, with judges not even respecting each other's judgements. "Judges are intruding in because the executive isn't doing its job," he says, applauding the judiciary for bringing accountability to the system. But there are two sides to everything, he says, highlighting that the Constitution has been amended 5 times to overturn SC judgements. It's a mixed bag, he says, stressing the need for dialogue between the two arms.