In the wake of Emergency possibilities once again in India, Times of India talks with L.K. Advani, who has raised the curtain to the debate. Excerpts from the interview:

Q: There will be those who will suggest that your message to Mr Modi, or a Sonia Gandhi or an Arvind Kejriwal?

A: That would be a wrong interpretation. I am not referring to any individual but to a fact that the fear of losing power can breed authoritarian tendencies which we should guard against.

Q: Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

A: There are two things that create arrogance, money and power. I have no experience of money, but I have seen how power can affect people. Sometimes when people gain a great deal of political power, they do not want to let it go. This desire to hang on to power at all costs is what causes distortions and offences, leads to bad acts and sometimes wrong acts. Those who have any kind of power-whether its money power or political power should have the wisdom to not become arrogant or create an ego. You see when you enter politics, you get enormous authority and power. But my generation of politicians believed in humility, the kind of humility that Vajpayee practiced. Those who can't be humble can't serve the country.

Q: And how would you assess Indira Gandhi today?

A: I have written a blog about the 14 PMs of India, a sort of balance sheet of their achievements. Nehru's great achievement was that immediately after Independence he established a parliamentary democracy in India and made it successful. His biggest weakness was the handling of the war with China, a defeat which weakened the country and the army terribly. Indira Gandhi achieved a great victory against Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh but she dealt a body blow to constitutional democracy in India in the declaration of the Emergency, she did great harm. Of all the PMs, if I make a list of achievements, Atalji achieved so much but in spite of his achievements his constant humility stood out.

- Manohar