Swamy keeps up attack on CEA, brushes aside Jaitley's remarks

Unfazed by the government and BJP distancing themselves from his remarks, Subramanian Swamy continued his attack on Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramananian while dismissing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's counsel for restraint.

"Let him say what he wants....I have nothing to do with what Jaitley says. I can talk to the party President or the prime minister," he told reporters who asked him about Jaitley's disapproval of his attack on a technocrat in the government who cannot respond.

Earlier in the morning, Swamy kept up his criticism of Subrmanian saying he will "suspend" the demand for his sacking if the government considers him patriotic despite his attempts in the past of trying to twist India's arm.

"If an Indian?, held patriotic, can advise a foreign nation where he works, to twist India's arm, is to be forgiven, then I suspend my demand.

"AS (Arvind Subramanian) to US Cong: "US initiatives by discriminating against India companies and exporters will exert pressure on India to open up" AS 13/3/13!," Swamy tweeted today.

Swamy caused a flutter when he sought Subramanian's sacking for allegedly taking anti-India stance when he was an IMF economist in Washington prior to joining the Finance Ministry.

Jaitley had yesterday debunked Swamy's call for sacking Subramanian saying "Government has full confidence in CEA. His advice to government from time to time has been of great value".

Subramanian was appointed CEA by the BJP government in October 2014 after his predecessor Raghuram Rajan moved to the RBI as Governor in September 2013.