State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan said that ‘one cannot be a good minister or a senior administrator without having a lot of experience on the field’ at a discussion on the book titled ‘Dravidian Journey’ written by J. Jeyaranjan, vice-chairman, State Planning Commission, Government of Tamil Nadu, held at Roja Muthiah Research Library here in Chennai.
Speaking during the discussion, Mr. Thiagarajan said that campaigning and field work became his guiding light in politics. “Going out on the streets and campaigning was a huge eye opener for me. Just like when I went to markets after studying finance and economic theory, I used what I observed in the day to day life to relate back to the theory and it became a virtual cycle. In politics, field work has been the guiding light. I don’t think one can be a good minister or a good senior administrator without having a lot of experience on the ground,” he said.
Mr. Thiagarajan asked Dr. Jeyaranjan whether there are many in India who connect theoretical or quantitative economic concepts to actual human experiences — lives changes, villages transformed etc.
