The BJP is hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “snub” will help keep party MP Subramanian Swamy from taking further pot-shots at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his ministry.
A day after the PM, in a TV interview, dubbed Swamy’s jibes as “inappropriate”, there was an intriguing silence from the latter.
On Twitter, which he had used effectively to target RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and later Jaitley, Swamy posted an intriguing line. “The world is in general equilibrium. A small change in one parameter effects changes in all variables. So Krishna advised: Sukh Dukhe,” he tweeted.
In BJP circles, it was perceived as Modi’s advisory having worked to some extent. This was greeted with general relief because there is anxiety in the party about Swamy’s public statements affecting the overall image of the government.
Strong reprimand The PM had, in the context of Swamy’s public statements, said in an interview to a private TV channel on Monday: “Whether it is someone from my party or not, I believe that such things are inappropriate.
“The nation won’t benefit from such publicity stunts. One should be more responsible while conducting themselves. Anyone who believes he is bigger than the system is wrong…I have a very clear message. I have no two minds about it.”
On the RBI Governor, who has been consistently targeted by Swamy on several counts including being “mentally not fully Indian”, the PM said: “When my government was formed in May 2014, the topic of television debates was — will the new government let Raghuram Rajan continue? Or will the new government oust Raghuram Rajan? And there was more or less consensus that he was appointed by the previous government and so Modi won’t let him complete his tenure and will remove him. You have seen that he worked his entire tenure.
“So, all misconceptions have been dispelled. Secondly, according to my two-year experience in government, those who are creating controversies are being unjust to Raghuram Rajan.”
The BJP believes this was the only message that could work with Swamy, against whom all party spokespersons and top leaders are reluctant to speak on record, even when he is targeting the Finance Minister.
“After the PM has spoken, where is the need for any of us to say anything? The message has been delivered,” said a BJP leader speaking anonymously to BusinessLine .
The silence in the BJP — especially in contrast to the swiftness with which Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh had defended Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj against the Congress attack on l’affaire Lalit Modi — may be due to the internal dynamics of the party.
However, this is not the whole reason.
One reason for the party’s stoicism on Swamy’s outbursts is the fear that anyone who speaks may invite the outspoken MP’s wrath. The other is Swamy’s backers in the RSS, whom no one in the BJP would like to annoy by speaking publicly on an issue which involves such “towering personalities”. “Who wants to say anything on record? For all you know, I would be accused of molesting a woman tomorrow,” said another BJP leader on condition of anonymity.
For the moment, there is collective hope in the party that the “Swamy storm” will blow over.