Rajan

interview

Anyone who believes that he is bigger than the system is wrong: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Monday sent a direct message of disapproval to Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy over his attacks on RBI governor Raghuramand senior finance ministry officials, saying such comments were inappropriate and Rajan's patriotism was beyond doubt.In anto Times Now, the PM said, "Whether it is someone from my party or not, I believe that such things (Swamy's remarks) are inappropriate. The nation won't benefit from such publicity stunts. People should be more responsible while conducting themselves. Anyone who believes he is bigger than the system is wrong."Asked that this seemed a clear message, the PM said, "I have a very clear message. I have no two minds about it."Swamy's jibes at chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian and economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das were seen to be aimed at finance minister Arun Jaitley, who had called the attacks unfair and false. Modi's sharp put-down signals his view that Swamy overstepped his limits and the MP's free-flowing commentary on Rajan, Jaitley and officials does not have the backing of the BJP leadership.PM Modi's remarks are significant as this is the first time he has so emphatically expressed his displeasure over Swamy's controversial references, which left BJP and the government deeply embarrassed, generating speculation over whether the MP was acting on his own or reflecting a deeper agenda as he claimed to have a line to the leadership.Defending Rajan, the PM strongly countered Swamy's allegation that the RBI governor was not "fully Indian", saying "I believe Raghuram Rajan's patriotism is no less than any of ours. It will be doing injustice to him if one says that he will serve the country only if he is at a particular post...whatever post he holds, wherever he is, he is someone who will continue to serve the country."The PM also made detailed and significant references to Pakistan when asked about what would be the "Lakshman Rekha" when dealing with the neighbour. "The first thing is that with Pakistan, to whom do we talk to decide about the 'Lakshman Rekha'? Will it be with the elected government or with other actors? That is why India will have to be on alert all the time." The reference to 'other actors' seems to indicate the Pakistani military, which is seen as the final word on ties with India and US besides nuclear weapons.Modi indicated the difficulty of dealing with multiple centres of power in Pakistan even as he said the government in office is what he would deal with. "Look, there are different types of forces operating in Pakistan. But the government only engages with a democratically elected system. Our effort for that engagement is continuing. But our supreme objective is peace," he said.The interview covered wide ground, including India's bid for NSG membership, relations with Pakistan and China, Modi's frequent foreign travel, alleged corruption in defence deals dating to the UPA tenure, the stuck GST bill and the government's troubled tieswith Congress.