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BJP upset over Swamy's tirades against Jaitley, top babus

June 24, 2016 18:54 IST

There is concern in the organisation and the leadership over the unbridled criticism aimed at the Finance Ministry. 

IMAGE: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks at ‘Invest in India’ forum in Beijing, China. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
 
 

The BJP leadership is said to be upset over its MP Subramanian Swamy's open attacks on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and top bureaucrats and has taken a serious view of the matter.

Party sources said there was concern in the organisation and the leadership over the unbridled criticism aimed at the Finance Ministry and today's threat of a "bloodbath" over being asked to be discipline.

Sources indicated the party was not in a hurry to act against Swamy, a Rajya Sabha member, and would adopt a wait-and-watch attitude for some time.

A senior BJP leader sought to dispel the impression that Swamy, who is said to enjoy the support of RSS, has the backing of the Sangh Parivar fountainhead claiming RSS would not support such an open attack that harms the government's and party's image.

Swamy lashed out at Jaitley without naming him, in an apparent reaction to the minister urging him to exercise restraint and discipline in the wake of his attacks on government's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.

"People giving me unasked for advice of discipline and restraint don't realise that if I disregard discipline there would be a bloodbath," he tweeted in an obvious attack on Jaitley.

"BJP should direct our Ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie, they look like waiters," Swamy said in another tweet. 

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