BJP leader pokes fun at new RBI boss over qualifications; prays he won't make RBI itself history

Days after the appointment of Shaktikanta Das as the new RBI Governor, senior BJP leader Jay Narayan Vyas questioned the credentials of RBI chief to head the Central Bank.

Das is the 25th Governor of RBI and has worked closely with several finance ministers of the country. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: Days after the appointment of Shaktikanta Das as the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jay Narayan Vyas questioned the credentials of RBI chief to head the Central Bank. Vyas referred to Das’ background in history and doubted if he was a suitable candidate for the top post. Vyas is a former BJP minister and was in Narendra Modi’s cabinet when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. Vyas on Wednesday took to Twitter and expressed his concern over the appointment of Das. “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),” he tweeted. Das is a retired IAS officer and took over the as RBI chief three days after his predecessor Urjit Patel put down his papers citing personal reasons. Patel’s resignation came in the middle of a tussle with the government over the central bank’s autonomy and other issues. A 1980 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Das completed his higher studies from Delhi University. Vyas, in his tweet, was referring to Das’ postgraduate degree in history. “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),” news agency ANI quoted Vyas as saying. “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 further. Das is the 25th Governor of RBI and has worked closely with several finance ministers of the country during his 37-year long professional tenure. Prior to this, Das was also India’s Sherpa to the G-20. However, on the contrary, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley believes that Das is an appropriate candidate for the post. “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.