It was a chilly evening in Delhi when a high profile panel gathered to debate the relevance of Rajiv Gandhi’s legacy in the 21st century, at the launch of Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar’s book A Time of Transition, published by Penguin and the Express Group. Witnessing the spirited discussion was an audience comprising political leaders, civil servants, diplomats and luminaries. In between serious arguments on democracy and socialism, there was enough humour. “Mani is much more interesting when he’s in the opposition,” said panelist Arun Jaitley in his introduction, to loud claps from the audience. Pondering Rajiv Gandhi’s core values was never more interesting.
