‘Sack him’: After Rajan, Swamy targets chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, who criticised RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, targeted chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian on Wednesday.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who unleashed a tirade against RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, now has a new target: Chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
The Rajya Sabha member has demanded the dismissal of Subramanian whose name is among the several doing the rounds to succeed Rajan who shocked everyone with his decision to return to academia when his term runs out in September.
“Who said to US Cong on 13/3/13 the US should act against India to defend US Pharmaceuticals interests? Arvind Subramanian MoF !! Sack him!!!,” Swamy tweeted Wednesday morning.
The 76-year-old accused Subramanian, who succeeded Rajan as the economic adviser, of encouraging the opposition Congress to harden stand on the goods and services tax, stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA is in a minority.
“Guess who encouraged Congi to become rigid on GST clauses? Jaitley’s economic adviser Arvind Subramanian of Washington DC,” Swamy tweeted, saying he is “helping Jaitely to recognise the enemies in our camp”.
Tipped as India’s biggest tax reform, the GST aims to stitch together a common market by dismantling fiscal barriers between states. It will be a single tax levied across India on all goods and services.
In a series of tweets attacking the economic adviser, who is an NRI, Swamy said, “Now PTs (Patriotic Tweeples) can understand why our core economic sectors could not perform last two years. Trojan horses galore in MoF/Fin Institutions.”
“Was AS (Arvind Subramanian) deposing before US Cong Committee against India as a US citizen or Indian? Does any PT know?”
The Harvard-educated economist’s diatribe against Rajan was along similar lines. He had accused India’s top banker of wrecking the economy, alleging he was “not fully Indian” since he held US green card.
Both Rajan and Subramanian have worked at the International Monetary Fund as well. While Rajan was appointed by the previous UPA government, Subramanian was brought in by the Modi government.
Swamy’s target, Congress leader Divijaya Singh said, was not Subramanian but finance minister Arun Jaitley. “Subramanian Swamy now guns for Arvind Subramanian Economic Advisor to NDA. Target is Arun Jaitley not Arvind Subramanian,” the Congress leader tweeted.
“Is Modi handing over Finance Ministry to Subramanian Swamy?... He has been claiming that PM has assured him as quid pro quo if he targeted Nehru Gandhi Family.”
Swamy had said his next “project” was to expose a group of bureaucrats loyal to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, news agency ANI said. “My next project is to expose 27 bureaucrats who are in various Ministries and loyal to TDK. They were handpicked and positioned by PC,” Swamy tweeted a few days ago.
A Bloomberg News survey showed Arvind Subramanian was the most-likely candidate to succeed Rajan among five candidates the government was said to be considering.
