Economy in safe hands; worry not, Mr. Guha: Sitharaman

New Delhi, June 11

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A war of words broke out on twitter between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Ramchandra Guha with the minister asking the historian not to worry about economy as it is in “safe hands”.

Earlier in the day, Guha tweeted quoting British writer Philip Spratt’s comment in 1939 that Gujarat was economically strong but “culturally backward”.

“In a free India, democratic Gandhism would be put to its most difficult test. It might be that the non-violent way towards a civilised society would prove itself. It is perhaps more likely that an effective dictatorship of the right would be set up…’.
Philip Spratt, 1939.

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

Sitharaman then posted a weblink to an article published in September 2018 about the Poland government organising event to honour former Jamnagar king, Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Jadeja, for giving shelter to 1,000 Polish children during World War II.

“In 1939, when Philip Spratt, from Britain, belonging to the Communist International wrote, (who @Ram_Guha quotes) this was what was happening in Gujarat: Jamnagar… Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Jadeja… saved 1,000 Polish children #Culture,” Sitharaman tweeted.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also responded to Guha’s tweet saying that Indians would not fall for “tricks” of dividing them.

I thought it was only the Gujarat CM, but now it seems even the FM is obsessing about a humdrum historian’s tweets. The economy is surely in safe hands. https://t.co/bBpcK85Hel

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) June 11, 2020

Soon after, Guha tweeted: “I thought it was only the Gujarat CM, but now it seems even the FM is obsessing about a humdrum historian’s tweets. The economy is surely in safe hands.” Taking a swipe at Guha, Sitharaman tweeted late in the evening: “The economy is very much in safe hands; worry not, Mr. Guha. Taking cognisance of thoughts in current national discourse+responsibly doing my job aren’t mutually exclusive. Either way, an interest in history is a plus. Surely an intellectual such as yourself should know that.” —PTI

The economy is very much in safe hands; worry not, Mr. Guha. Taking cognisance of thoughts in current national discourse+responsibly doing my job aren’t mutually exclusive. Either way, an interest in history is a plus. Surely an intellectual such as yourself should know that 🙏🏽. https://t.co/speBC2bggv

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) June 11, 2020