Skip to main content

Modi a mediocre leader, efficient in riots, economic adviser Subramanian had told US: BJP hardliner Swamy

Arvind Subramanian
By A Representative
Close on the heels of the appointment of Urjit Patel, formerly with International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Reliance Industries Ltd, as the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor, hardline BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy has stepped up his attack on Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser (CEA) of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
Swamy, who controversially criticized outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan's alleged allegiance to the US being a green card holder, tweeted on Sunday that Subramanian called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “a mediocre leader, efficient in riots” and “asked the US to grill India in World Trade Organization for drub companies market access.”
Ending with the exclamation mark “tolerance!”, Swamy's tweet is followed by his supporters wondering as to why was Subramanian appointed CEA when he had “appealed to the US to initiate disputes against India before the WTO”. Another tweeted, “It's okay if he berated an individual not if he acted against Indian interests.” A third one called Subramanian a “US infiltrator”.
Others wondered why “blame Jaichands when they are being given a free run with open eyes rather than being nipped in the bud”, warning, this type of “tolerance” would “lead to intolerance by people in 2019”, so it would be “better to throw out” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the man who supposedly brought in Subramaniam “before people throw-out BJP”, and that Modi “blindly trusts Jaitley” or is “being blackmailed.”
Urjit Patel
This is the second time Swamy has attacked Subramanian. He had tweeted on June 22, “Who said to US Congress on March 13, 2013, the US should act against India to defend US pharmaceuticals interests? Arvind Subramaniam! Sack him!!”
Interestingly, Urjit Patel – known for long to be a protagonist of his predecessor Rajan – was spared of any criticism from Swamy, who said it would be “idiotic” to attack the new appointee. Swamy is known to have be in the front rank of those who attacked Rajan, who is has spoken out loudly against the atmosphere of “intolerance” in India under Modi.
Meanwhile, top British weekly “The Economist” August 20, 2016 has commented that Modi's decision to appoint Patel as RBI was “belated”, pointing out that appointment came “nine weeks after Rajan, the respected incumbent, surprised everyone by announcing he wouldn’t stay on the job for a second term.”
Saying that Patel, who was appointed as one of four RBI deputy governors by the previous UPA government in 2013, “The Economist notes, “Patel is thought to be of similar ilk to his current boss”, which should be “reassuring for investors”, who are “still baffled as to why Rajan, a former IMF chief economist with a good record as head of the RBI, was effectively sacked by Modi.”
The weekly says, “Patel’s remit at the RBI has been to help shape monetary policy”, adding “The newish inflation-targeting framework, which has been successful in stemming rising prices (helped by outside factors such as falling oil prices), is as much his as Rajan’s.”
It further comments, “Though he lacks the stature of Rajan, which probably helped fend off inevitable calls for lower interest-rates from ministers and industrialists, Patel is seen as just as hawkish as the outgoing governor. His appointment should alleviate fears that Rajan's exit was a ploy by Modi to hobble a fiercely independent central bank.”
Wondering, however, whether Patel “keeps the same amount of pressure on the banks” as Rajan did, wich would be “a vital test of the early stages of his three-year mandate” as new RBI governor, “The Economic” concludes, “Many hope the new governor will simply be a clone of the incumbent. But that would raise questions as to why Modi didn’t just stick with the original.”

Comments

fazal said…
This guy Suwarmanian Swamy lives up all the time to the acronym - BJP: Barking Jokers Party, a barking Joker in it indeed. poopmocnin(read reverse)was never been proved right. Just dikless impotent invented manufactured imaginations farted from mouth and speak from the fart place.

TRENDING

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

  By A Representative   A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative   In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

Vaccination vs screening: Policy questions raised on cervical cancer strategy

By A Representative   A public policy expert has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda raising a series of concerns regarding the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched on February 28 for 14-year-old girls.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative   The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress. 

The new anti-national certificate: If Arundhati Roy is the benchmark, count me in

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava*   Dear MANIT Alumni Network Committee, “Are you anti-national?” I encountered this fascinating—some may say intimidating—question from an elderly woman I barely know, an alumna of Maulana Azad College of Technology (MACT, now Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology - MANIT), Bhopal, and apparently one of the founders of the MACT (now MANIT) Alumni Network. The authority with which she posed the question was striking. “How much anti-national are you? What have you done for the Alumni Network Committee to identify you as anti-national?” When I asked what “anti-national” meant to her and who was busy certifying me as such, the response came in counter-questions.

Minority concerns mount: RTI reveals govt funded Delhi religious meet in December

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  Indian Muslims have expressed deep concern over what they describe as rising hate speech and hostility against their community under the BJP-led government in India. A recent flashpoint was the event organised by Sanatan Sanstha titled “Sanatan Rashtra Shankhnad Mahotsav” in New Delhi on 13–14 December 2025.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah  Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Development vs community: New coal politics and old conflicts in Madhya Pradesh

By Deepmala Patel*  The Singrauli region of Madhya Pradesh, often described as “India’s energy capital,” has for decades been a hub of coal mining and thermal power generation. Today, the Dhirouli coal mine project in this district has triggered widespread protests among local communities. In recent years, the project has generated intense controversy, public opposition, and significant legal and social questions. This is not merely a dispute over one mine; it raises a larger question—who pays the price for energy development? Large corporate beneficiaries or the survival of local communities?

From neglect to progress: The story of Ranavara’s community-led development

By Bharat Dogra   Visitors to Ranavara, a remote village in Kherwara block of Udaipur district, are often surprised by its multi-dimensional progress. The village today is known for its impressive school building, regenerated pastures, expanded tree cover, and extensive water conservation and supply works. These achievements are the outcome of sustained community efforts over several years, demonstrating how small, consistent initiatives can lead to significant change.