Nirmala Sitharaman

“PM Modi believes in detailed planning through extensive consultation. He is an example as a listener - no interruptions, no urgent phone calls, no distractions; he absorbs every input. He doesn't hesitate to say he needs more inputs, another round of briefing, or more time to mull over.”

“In defence, 'Make in India' is happening in a big way, and it is not happening without orders coming from the ministry.”

“I don't think I have suffered for want of being a Cabinet minister. I don't have a Cabinet minister to whom I report. I report directly to the Prime Minister.”

“Unlike some of our neighbours, India does not believe in dirty bombs. We take non-proliferation very seriously.”

“We have heard the Chinese refer to the Shangri-La Dialogue speech at various points. You have a lot of articulations about the top leadership itself about what is the spirit of India-China relations. There is a very clear understanding between the two countries about the defence relationship.”

“None of us should play party to any corporate warfare. We cannot become pawns in the hands of corporate giants' warfare to constantly bully the government, to throw misinformation to the public, tell part-truth and part-story to the public.”

“Since when has the Congress become protector of judiciary? Do I have to remind how Indira Gandhi treat the judiciary when one verdict went against them? Rajeev Gandhi in 1988 almost brought the bill, and during that phase, how many cases were filed against the media? And their son and grandson is talking about press freedom.”

“A buyer can buy anything from wherever he gets it cheap. Where will the Indian trader or farmer go in this case? Are we ready to see people sitting with their product and no international retailer wanting to buy from them?”

“We want to ensure that food is traded better, farmers get a better price, and consumers are able to access it at affordable prices.”

“Rupee fluctuation is not so significant compared with the other currencies. Fluctuations in currencies has been fairly steady. As the finance minister often says, fluctuation is the new normal.”

“It's only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership that the country can foresee a bright future.”

“The first thing I have done for the Tejas is that their capacity to annually produce eight aircraft has now been increased to 16. I have doubled it. For which we have given enough support, we have told them that if they need additional space for testing and trials, we are willing to give it.”

“You can't hold the armed forces responsible for being firm with terrorists. We need to be firm with terrorists.”

“Bringing in timely laws that are the need of the hour requires nimbleness to get through the necessary legislative processes.”

“We are a party which believes that we work in the national interest, not just to please my opposition.”

“It is the duty of the Defence Ministry and the forces to keep India safe.”

“Shouldn't India, too, like other countries, protect its national interests?”

“Most of the expressions we use in economics are relative terms. All of us are votaries of free trade.”

“I am saying this with a certain sense of confidence and not arrogance. The defence ministry is being run without any middleman and in a transparent way. We have proved that defence procurement can happen without middlemen.”

“A border is a border. I have to be conscious of both my borders. I will also have be conscious of my sea. It is less talked about.”