'Weak government, strong FM'

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has never been known to hide his light under a bushel, and this was amply proved at a recent panel discussion in Mumbai. One panelist, The Economist's former editor-in-chief Bill Emmott, spoke about "how a weak government can be a big problem for India" and he also referred to the "temptations of using the financial systems in a political way". To which Chidambaram, who was also part of the panel, said, "A seemingly weak government doesn't mean you cannot have a strong finance ministry looking after it."