The Congress on Thursday said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ‘protected’ RBI Governor Urijit Patel during the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PAC) meeting.
“In the PAC Dr. Manmohan Singh protected RBI in public interest. Mr. Modi is diminishing its independence and acted against public interest,” senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal tweeted.
Digvijaya Singh, who is also member of the Standing Committee on Finance, lashed out at Mr. Patel, a day after the central bank Governor was questioned by PAC over the note ban issue.
“I had the privilege to hear the earlier Governor RBI and the present one also. What a contrast!,” Mr. Digvijaya tweeted.
Dr. Singh, who had made a forceful speech against the note ban in the Rajya Sabha, calling it a “monumental failure and organised loot”, intervened on Wednesday and is believed to have said that the central bank and the Governor’s position as an institution should be respected.
In a memorandum submitted to RBI offices, the Congress demanded that the Governor take responsibility for the ‘note ban mess’ and for permitting the Modi government to encroach upon the bank’s jurisdiction and rendering it as “a mouthpiece” of the government.”
