Swamy's attack on Rajan has full backing of BJP, govt: Congress

The Congress on Friday claimed that that "vitriolic tirade" against RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan by Subramanian Swamy has the "full backing" of NDA government and Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The vitriolic tirade which is been carried out against the RBI Governor has full and complete backing of not only the government but BJP and its fellow travellers," party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

In reply to questions on the issue, Tewari insisted that the "tirade" against Rajan is the one aimed against the RBI and the way the governor was being targeted is a case of "classical fascism".

"This is classical fascism at work that when you don't have the courage to take a decision when somebody becomes inconvenient because of their independent stand then you allow people to run them into the ground and exercise the excuse of plausible deniability," Tewari said.

Asked about BJP chief Amit Shah's sidestepping queries about Swamy's attack on Rajan, Tewari replied, "first of all you need to ask the President of BJP, is it not the government which nominated this particular individual who is carrying out the tirade?

"Is he not a BJP member amenable to the discipline of the party?" he said.

Tewari's remarks came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the issue of reappointment of the RBI Governor was an administrative subject and it should not be an issue of interest of the media, in his first comments in the wake of continuing attack on the top economist in recent months. Rajan's term is ending in September.

Asked whether Rajan is a "good" governor, Tewari said the question is not whether the Governor is good or bad.

He said Rajan was brought as RBI Governor who has a three-year term. "If the government was so troubled with him, they should have taken a decision when they came to power two years back".

On Thursday, the Congress had demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must apologise for the BJP MP targeting "one of the most outstanding economists in the world".

In reply to another question, Tewari claimed that perhaps for the first time the integrity of economic numbers released by the government is under suspicion.

"No longer do people rely on the numbers which are put out by the government...Fact is that notwithstanding whatever numbers the government may put out, they have managed to achieve the impossible that is sink and shrink the Indian economy in the past 2 years," he added.