"Nirmala Sitharaman Was My Contemporary In JNU," Abhijit Banerjee Tells NDTV

Accused by union minister Piyush Goyal of being "Left-leaning" and pro-Congress, Nobel winner Abhijit Banerjee told NDTV that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was his contemporary at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where he studied economics, and was often on the same side on certain issues. He said that JNU is where he first encountered the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose members he described as unfailingly polite. He said JNU taught him the importance of respecting diverse opinions.