The decision of the defence minister to throw open the roads in cantonments may have pleased her political colleagues but is this the hallmark of her performance? Can she defend the country? The answer is, no. For a defence minister to be effective, he or she has also to be the finance minister of her ministry. If the defence minister has to go time and again to the finance minister with a begging bowl, then the defence of the country is not the responsibility of the defence minister but that of the finance minister.
Has any finance minister ever been held
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