My mother, Harvard taught me the value of hard work: Chidambaram

New Delhi: While delivering the vote-on-account speech, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram took a dig at BJP prime ministerial Narendra Modi saying he learnt the value of hard work from his mother and his alma mater Harvard.

Making his 9th Budget speech in the Lok Sabha and highlighting the achievement of the UPA regime, Chidambaram said on Monday, "All this was a result of hard work. My mother and Harvard taught me the value of hard work."

Modi had launched a stinging attack on Chidambaram for ridiculing the Gujarat Chief Minister's knowledge of economics and said the country was run with hard work and not Harvard while addressing a rally in Chennai on February 9.

In an apparent reference to Chidambaram's 2009 victory in Lok Sabha polls from Sivaganga after a recounting of votes, Modi had described him as the "Recounting Minister" and charged him with displaying 'excessive arrogance' while leaving the country's economy in bad shape.

"UPA government has a Recounting Minister. He lost (the election) but won in recounting. He is from Tamil Nadu. He thinks he was the first in the queue when God was distributing knowledge," Modi had said.

Modi had said when Chidambaram made fun of his knowledge about economics he had kept quiet "because more the mud is thrown, better the Lotus blooms."

"He (Chidambaram) said Modi's knowledge of economics can be written behind a postage stamp. The Congress-led UPA is headed by an eminent economist (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh). The Finance Minister also thinks himself to be equally efficient. He thinks nobody else is more intelligent than him.

"Only if you paste the postal stamp will the letter be delivered. I have proved myself through delivery (in Gujarat)," the BJP leader said. He suggested there be a contest between him and Chidambaram and said "you are educated from a big university. I am from a poor background from a small village. The Finance Minister is from Harvard. I am from hard-work. Do we need Harvard or hardwork for the development of the country?" he said.

(With additional information from PTI)