Dr. Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thinks that being in the Opposition is always a good thing for politicians and offered sound reasons for it.

"It is a humbling experience. It is also a time to reflect on the policies practised when one is in power, their positive and negative repercussions and the course corrections that may be needed. It is a time to observe the working of another government which has come to office after having defeated an incumbent and try to understand whether they are able to put their chance in office to good use," he said on Monday.

Dr. Singh was releasing the book `A view from the Outside: Why good economics works for everyone' by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

Dr. Singh said:

"While not all politicians put the spare time to good use, this book tells us that Chidambaram certainly did so. It is clear that during the period he was out of government, he had the time to reflect on issues of social and national concern.

"I think those who are now in Opposition should learn from the way Chidambaram handled spare time on his hands and make better use of their time. Though I am not sure how may of them can write as well as Mr. Chidambaram does, and write so intelligently. Few can match his knowledge, wisdom, experience, humour and the ease of expression.

"I am delighted to release this collection of columns of my valued colleague, Mr. Chidambaram. I had read many of them when they were originally published as columns in The Financial Express and The Indian Express. I am glad that Shekhar Gupta has been able to persuade Chidambaram to put these columns together into this volume. This will help extend the longevity and shelf life of these columns."

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