While BJP has taken potshots at Finance Minister P Chidambaram over his decision against contesting the elections, Jaitley remembered his political rival fondly and said he was entitled to take his own decision.
"My friend Chidambram has opted out of the elections. He is entitled to make his decision. Some of the better debates in Parliament and outside (including digs at each other) were between the two of us. I will certainly miss him," he said.
Talking about campaigning tours of villages near the Indo-Pak border, he said that the UPA government had discontinued the compensation fixed by the NDA regime for farmers whose land had become inaccessible due to barbed-wire fencing inside Indian territory.
"Punjab government is providing some compensation. Border farmers are awaiting clearance for some bridges to get access to their lands. Their big expectation is that opening and expansion of Indo-Pak border trade will boost their economy," he said.
