india

Updated: Dec 13, 2018 13:52 IST

Jay Narayan Vyas, a BJP leader from Gujarat, has questioned the new RBI governor Shaktikanta Das’ credentials to head the central bank by referring to his background in history.

Das, a retired IAS officer, took charge of the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday, three days after his predecessor Urjit Patel abruptly resigned citing personal reasons in the middle of a tussle with the government over the central bank’s autonomy and other issues.

“The New RBI Governor Das’s educational qualification is MA (History ) . Hope and Pray he doesn’t make RBI also a History .May God Bless the New Arrival !! (Sic),” the former minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet when he was the chief minister of Gujarat tweeted on Wednesday.

Vyas was referring to the postgraduate degree in history Das, a 1980 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Tamil Nadu cadre, holds from the Delhi University. His tweet was retweeted 842 times and liked by 2,101 users.

“To manage RBI you have to have a fair knowledge of the domestic and international economy. I respect IAS, the issue is that they’re exposed to a little of many things but the acceptance among the international community which earlier Governors commanded (is not there),” Vyas said, according to news agency ANI.

“I sympathise with Shaktikanta Das, and he has a Master’s degree in history. He will have to pull out a lot more at his age that is near retirement. He has to control and steer the RBI and answer issues like the use of RBI reserves,” he said.

Das, the 25th RBI governor, has mostly worked in economic and finance departments in the state and the centre during his 37-year-long tenure. He was also India’s Sherpa to the G-20.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has said Das has the “right credentials” to head the central bank.

“Das has been a very senior and an experienced civil servant. He has almost his entire career in the management of finances and economic management of the country both when he was in the state government of Tamil Nadu and also when he was in the government of India in the ministry of finance,” Jaitley has said.

Das said he would adopt a consultative approach and move quickly to meet bank chiefs and other parties to tackle issues facing the sector.

“I will try and uphold professionalism, core values, credibility and autonomy of this institution. It’s an honour and great opportunity to serve RBI. I will try my best to work with everyone and work in the interest of Indian economy,” Das said at his first news conference after taking charge on Wednesday.