Not right: PM on Swamy campaign

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appeared to censure party MP Subramanian Swamy, who has been making headlines courtesy an unrelenting vitriolic Twitter campaign against Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan and top Finance Ministry officials, including bête noire Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

In an interview to a news channel, Modi termed such remarks “inappropriate”. He also had a good word for Rajan. “My experience with him has been good and I appreciate the work he has done. He is no less patriotic. He loves India. Wherever he will work, he will work for India and he is patriotic,” the Prime Minister said.

Though Swamy’s name was not mentioned, Modi’s reply to a query on “your Rajya Sabha MP” was seen as “a message” and “a caution” to the maverick BJP leader.

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“Whether it is in my party or not, still I think such things are inappropriate. This fondness for publicity is never going to do any good to the nation. People should conduct themselves with utmost responsibility,” he said. “My message is very clear. I have no confusion about it.”

Recently, he had advised party leaders for restraint in speech and conduct. Meanwhile, a top BJP leader said that going by the impression of “Swamy’s closeness to the BJP and RSS leadership”, unless the message comes directly from Amit Shah or the PM, “this type of indirect cautioning, provided it is one, is unlikely to yield much result”.