New Delhi: Buoyed by Raghuram Rajan’s decision to step down from his post as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor on the completion of his term in September, firebrand Bharatiya Janta Party leader Subramanian Swamy is now training his guns on Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung who has been at odds with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
In his latest salvo, Swamy accused LG Jung of being hand in glove with Kejriwal and that his differences with the AAP leader were only posturing.
Swamy claimed he has information to suggest that the LG was playing a "mischievous role" of "abetting" Kejriwal at the behest of Congress to embarrass the BJP while appearing to oppose the AAP leader in public.
Swamy attacked Jung for "failing" to protect MPs from attack by "his government" and accused the Delhi LG of seeking guidance from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel.
Rajan's decision to step down seems to have acted as a shot in the arm for the firebrand leader who is now looking to target Kejriwal, former Finance minister P. Chidambaram, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and a group of bureaucrats who he says are loyal to her.
Swamy, on Sunday, took to his official Twitter account to announce that is next ‘project’ is to expose 27 bureaucrats who are loyal to TDK – an abbreviation apparently used by him for Sonia Gandhi.
“My next project is to expose 27 bureaucrats who are in various Ministries and loyal to TDK. They were handpicked and positioned by PC,” tweeted Swamy.
The BJP leader welcomed Rajan’s decision and termed his decision to step down from his post as one to save his self respect.
“Was he getting a second term in the first place? How do we know that he was getting a second term? I have no information that he was getting a second term. So if he says he wants to go and wants to save his self respect, I have no problem. Let them pretend that he is giving up and going but as long as he goes, it’s good,” said Swamy.
Raghuram Rajan on Saturday announced that he would return to the world of academics after the end of his term as RBI Governor on September 4, 2016. He further said that he will always be present to serve the nation when needed.
Meanwhile, Swamy today joined his party colleague Mahesh Girri in a hunger strike against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that after Rajan, he will now focus on exposing the Chief Minister.
“All his life he (Kejriwal) has done fraud. He says he was a meritorious student in IIT but I have records of how he got his admission...which I will reveal in a press conference. Till now I was Rajan ke peechhe (was going after Raghuram Rajan) and he is now gone,” said Swamy.
Delhi BJP MP Mahesh Girri, who has been on a hunger strike sine yesterday, wants apologies from Kejriwal for accusing him in the murder case of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) official MM Khan.
On Kejriwal's allegations against Maheish Girri, Swamy said the Delhi Chief Minister, like the style of functioning of 14th century Sultan of Delhi Mohammed Bin Tughlak, has turned "upside down" all known principles of democratic jurisprudence, as a person is presumed innocent till proven guilty.
In a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, Swamy specifically referred to Kejriwal's allegations that BJP's East Delhi MP Maheish Girri is linked to murder of an NDMC official, terming the charges as "scurrilous and undocumented".
He requested the President to ask the Union Home Ministry to issue a directive as per provision of the Constitution and seek a report asking on what basis Kejriwal and his colleagues have made allegations of murder against Girri.
"There appears to be a complete breakdown of any semblance of governance in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The AAP is functioning in a highly arbitrary, unreasonable and mala fide manner.
"Since the NCT is where the Union Government is also located, it has become crucial to restore some semblance of governance immediately," said Swamy in the letter.
(With PTI inputs)
