Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram is down but not out. In custody since August 21, he has not lost his flair for making a profound comment on the state of the economy. This time, he dropped one word to sum up the sentiment over the sluggish growth rate, which has touched a six-year-low of 5%.
As he was being led out of a Supreme Court hearing, reporters asked a different question, but Chidambaram flashed his trademark smile and had only one thing to say - 5%. "Sir, you want to say anything? You have been in custody for 15 days," NDTV asked the Congress leader flanked by CBI officers and the police. "5 per cent," Chidambaram replied, gesturing with his hand to convey the number, apparently chiding the government over the GDP crawl. ‘‘You know what 5 per cent is? You remember 5 per cent," he said over his shoulder at the reporter, who called out, "GDP?"
