Jawaharlal Nehru is the best prime minister India has had while Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is the best prime minister the country could not have, according to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
During an interview with PTI Videos, he also dismissed the RSS people as "fraudulent nationalists", while dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi "the master of falsehoods".
Giving one-word answers during a segment of the wide-ranging interview, Ramesh described Home Minister Amit Shah as being about "bluff and bluster".
Asked about who he regards as the best prime minister India has had, Ramesh said, "undoubtedly Jawaharlal Nehru".
On "best PM India could not have", Ramesh picked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Asked to choose his preferred role from the past -- environment minister or rural development minister, Ramesh picked environment.
Ramesh also preferred his role as in-charge communications over the role of being an AICC in-charge of any state.
On being asked to pick among Jairam Ramesh the writer, Jairam Ramesh the strategist or Jairam Ramesh the environment conservationist, the Congress leader said these are different facets to the same personality.
"I enjoyed writing a large number of books in the last 10 years. I enjoyed researching, going to the archives. Topics that had been on my mind that I could write and which I wrote on. So each role is different. I enjoy being an MP, I enjoy raising questions on environment and I enjoy writing," Ramesh said.
During the interview, he also credited former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for the beginning of his journey in full-time politics.
Asked how he ventured into full-time politics, Ramesh said, "That's entirely because of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi you know through Mr. Sam Pitroda, we had worked with the then prime minister on technology missions and then Mr. Gandhi lost the election and in 1990 sometime Mr. Pitroda and I had spoken to him and Mr. Gandhi said come and work with us full-time for the party because elections are around the corner," he said.
"So that's how it started and then I continued. So this is my 35th year with the Congress party," Ramesh added.
Crediting Rajiv Gandhi for the start of his political innings, Ramesh said he had had worked for Gandhi's government in the ministry of industry, in the planning commission and then directly with him through Pitroda on the technology mission.
"So, he (Rajiv) was the inspirational figure and he was the one who encouraged a lot of younger people from non-political backgrounds. I come from a completely non-political background. So he encouraged all this and no doubt that he was the inspiration, the starting point," Ramesh said.