The Doon School man who cut his teeth in the Union government as minister of environment and forests in 1991 is a transformed man these days. Made to plunge into the latest round of wto talks less than two months after he was sworn in as minister of commerce and industry, Kamal Nath has already earned the reputation of being a tough wto negotiator. "He is quick on the uptake and knows exactly which points to pick up," his officials discovered soon after he took over. The tough Kamal Nath, in full control of his political minefield of a ministry, speaks to Sheela Reddy. Excerpts:
You are in a spot of trouble over chilli exports...
Laughs
Isn't this going to be a recurring problem, especially in food exports where there are no standards?
You have plans to let in retail outlets like WalMart into India?
But don't we have enough malls already?
But won't this kill off the corner shops?
Your wto negotiations are facing stiff resistance from the Left. How are you handling it?
Do you feel strapped in, working as a minister in this government?
