New Delhi: BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy's tweets this morning talked about "suspending" his demand for the sacking of Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian, but what they telegraphed was far from a retreat.
A day after the government strongly defended Mr Subramanian - who is among those being discussed as the likely new chief of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after Raghuram Rajan - Mr Swamy said he would "wait for events to prove the truth." A day ago, Mr Swamy posted a series of tweets targeting Mr Subramanian for being a green card holder and for earlier backing Washington in a row over intellectual property rights.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley firmly shot down the demand at a press conference, saying: "The government has full confidence in the Chief Economic Adviser. His advice to government from time to time has been of great value."
The government's quick clarification on the chief economist comes days after RBI chief Raghuram Rajan - who was also targeted by Mr Swamy - announced that he would not seek a second term after his stint ended in September.
Mr Rajan's decision to quit the central bank is attributed partly to the fact that the government made no strong condemnation of Mr Swamy's attacks on him.
Mr Swamy had accused Mr Rajan of deliberately hurting India's economy by refusing to drop interest rates - a move which many in the government criticized as preventing growth.
Mr Subramanian worked with Mr Rajan at the International Monetary Fund and replaced him as Chief Economic Advisor in 2014 when Mr Rajan moved to the RBI as governor.
Mr Swamy, a Harvard-educated economist, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP recently.
A day after the government strongly defended Mr Subramanian - who is among those being discussed as the likely new chief of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after Raghuram Rajan - Mr Swamy said he would "wait for events to prove the truth."
The government's quick clarification on the chief economist comes days after RBI chief Raghuram Rajan - who was also targeted by Mr Swamy - announced that he would not seek a second term after his stint ended in September.
Advertisement
Mr Swamy had accused Mr Rajan of deliberately hurting India's economy by refusing to drop interest rates - a move which many in the government criticized as preventing growth.
Advertisement
Mr Swamy, a Harvard-educated economist, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP recently.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"Young India Has Virat Kohli Mentality - 2nd To None Globally": Raghuram Rajan "Parachute Economist": Raghuram Rajan Criticised For Remarks On India's Growth "Greatest Mistake India Can Make Is To Believe...": Raghuram Rajan's Warning World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 4 Passengers Die As 12 Coaches Of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derail In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Woman Dies After Jumping Off Elevated Platform At Delhi Metro Station: Cops No Coercive Action Against Delhi-NCR Home Buyers Over EMI: Supreme Court 60 Rare Siamese Crocodiles Hatch In Cambodia In A Conservation Win Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.