Modi's defence of Rajan a reflection of "double-faced politics": Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday dismissed Narendra Modi's defence of Raghuram Rajan as a reflection of "double-faced politics", saying the Prime Minister's comments were meaningless after the RBI governor had announced his decision to leave. "What is the purpose of defending Rajan today? This is double-faced politics. The Prime Minister was silent when Rajan was being attacked by his party MP," Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal said. Rajan has announced he would step down as the central bank's governor on September 4, when his three-year term ends. The announcement, earlier this month, came after a bitter campaign against him orchestrated by Subramanian Swamy that appeared to have the tacit support of an influential section within the government.

In an interview to Times Now, Modi said Rajan - who had been accused of being anti-national - was no less patriotic than anyone else. Sibal said it was a "clever" tactic. "Rajan has announced his decision now. It is a clever ploy - you didn't want him to continue in office. When he leaves after being attacked, you defend him." The spokesperson also claimed that Modi had opted for an interview because he didn't want to face uncomfortable questions at a regular media conference. The party appeared to have worked on its counterattack as it ripped into the Prime Minister, accusing him of poor grasp of global realities, petty politics, hypocrisy and opportunism. Sibal described the government as the "most immoral" India had ever seen. "We were attacked for biryani diplomacy and love letters to Pakistan. Now they go to Pakistan for birthday celebrations and the RSS hosts an iftar where the Pakistani high commissioner is invited even though eight securitymen were killed (on Saturday) in Kashmir." The "birthday" dig was possibly a reference to Modi's unscheduled stopover in Lahore last December to wish his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his way back from Afghanistan. The iftar reference was to the invitations the RSS has sent out for July 2. Sibal also dwelt on India's recent failure to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the 48-nation club that governs global nuclear commerce. "Modi has no knowledge of global realities and no experience in diplomacy. He does not understand diplomacy is not a sound-and-light show. We are told every day something historic has happened for the first time. But there is no real gain. Why make announcements that Mexico and Switzerland support us on NSG entry? Why did the PM go to Tashkent unless the deal was sealed with the Chinese? Don't embarrass India, don't lower its prestige." Sibal added: "Modi says the N-deal is the centrepiece of Indo-US relations. Didn't the BJP say it would scrap the deal? Didn't L.K. Advani say it is not a strategic but a subservient deal? Did they oppose the deal then out of national interest?" The Congress spokesperson reserved his most biting comments for Modi's remarks yesterday on the Emergency, betraying the sense of hurt in the opposition party. "This is petty politics," he said. "We know the Emergency can't be imposed now after the 44th Constitutional amendment. Modi makes his body flexible with yoga but his mind is static. The country can't move ahead with a static mind." In his Mann Ki Baat radio address on Sunday, Modi had said the nation should not forget the "black night" of the June 1975 proclamation. Sibal recalled Advani's comments last year when the BJP veteran, sidelined for all practical purposes, had voiced fears about a recurrence of the Emergency. "What did Advani say about the Emergency in June 2015? He said, 'At the present point of time, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger.' There is already a silent Emergency in place. Nobody can write against Modi...," Sibal said.