File photo of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Taking a dig at politics of dynasty, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said that times have changed and now surnames do not seem to matter in politics.
"I used to under say that except in politics, in other areas of life, surnames don't matter. But now it appears even in politics it matters a little less.
"Merely (because) you came from a distinguished family and somebody else came from less distinguished (family)...," the senior BJP leader said.
Although he did not name anyone, the reference was apparently to political parties like Congress and Samajwadi Party in which the parties' top leadership is dominated by families. and which did not do well in the 2014 General Elections.
Mr Jaitley, who was addressing students of the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in New Delhi, said that the world today offers entirely different kinds of opportunities. Talking about the economy, Mr Jaitley said that the economy has slowed down in the last few years.
India's growth, which was 8-9 per cent during the global economic crisis, slipped to below 5 per cent in the past two financial years.
The Finance Minister said that as a result of lower growth, the job opportunities have shrunk, economic activities have contracted and government's revenue collections has come down.
"I think we need to re-emphasise debate which has been going in the country for last 24 years, do we want an over regulated society, do we want a high taxation society...," he said.