Who Isn't Afraid Of Subramanian Swamy?

His is a malice towards one and all. But behind the invective is a shrewd intelligence

- Shougat Dasgupta

Offered the opportunity to publicly scold Subramanian Swamy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted for prudence. Without naming names, he asked reporters not to cover those with a “fondness for publicity”. He warned those who would think of themselves as “bigger than the party” to show restraint. The kerfuffle that has consumed the media has, of course, been Swamy’s relentless baiting of Raghuram Rajan, the departing governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and latterly Arvind Subramanian, the chief economic advisor to the government. What has been called in some quarters a “snub”, a “rebuke”, a “castigation” has really been the gentlest of taps on the wrist for a serious breach of party discipline. The Congress responded with derision, describing Modi’s response as an “advisory, not action”. Ashutosh, the Aam Aadmi Party’s national spokesperson, told INDIA TODAY that “Swamy is nothing buta hatchet man for Modi, that’s why he can target senior officials with impunity”.