Shekhar Gupta: Given the choice, which is the portfolio you would have liked to handle?

I don't want to zero in on any portfolio. But certainly I feel that somebody like me would only like to be working in an economic ministry with infrastructural issues. The privatisation or modernisation of airports, building the aviation infrastructure has been a big challenge. That is where my area of interest would be.

Smita Aggarwal: In your earlier stint, you were hailed for some bold decisions -- the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, aircraft acquisition, etc. But in the second stint you have come under attack inside and outside parliament. What do you think has changed?

Nothing has changed. The attack is only coming on Air India. As a minister, one has done the maximum in the last five years for the carrier. I could have very easily not done anything. In four years, nobody said anything. Now suddenly there are questions as to why so many planes were being bought. I take pride in the process that we adopted for the acquisition of planes. I wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to institutionalise the process which according to him, was the most transparent and the fairest process possible. He gave us an oversight committee, headed by a former CVC and a former CAG Mr??? Somaya. They went through each and every process with a toothcomb. Before going to the Cabinet, a GoM was formed with the PM, P Chidambaram, and the Cabinet Secretary to consider the matter.

... contd.