Nirmala Sitharaman slams Rahul Gandhi over 'stealing from RBI' remarks, asks him to consult an expert

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit back at Rahul Gandhi hours after he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her over their `self-created economic disaster`.

PUNE: Slamming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'stealing from RBI' remarks, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that Gandhi scion should refrain from using the `chor or chori` word again as the voters have already given him a befitting reply in Lok Sabha election.

"Whenever Rahul Gandhi raises things like `chor,chori,` one thing comes to my mind. He tried his best `chor, chor, chori` but the public has given him a befitting reply. What is the point of using the same words again?" Sitharaman said in a press conference. 

Taking a dig at former Congress president, Sitharaman said that Gandhi should talk to an expert and understand the issue before commenting on it. "The Reserve Bank of India had set up a committee on the transfer of surplus and the decision was made by them and government has nothing to do with it," she said.

Sitharaman hit back at Gandhi hours after he slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sitharaman over their `self-created economic disaster`. "PM and FM are clueless about how to solve their self created economic disaster. Stealing from RBI won`t work - it`s like stealing a Band-Aid from the dispensary and sticking it on a gunshot wound. RBI Looted," Rahul tweeted on Tuesday morning.

PM & FM are clueless about how to solve their self created economic disaster.

Stealing from RBI won’t work - it’s like stealing a Band-Aid from the dispensary & sticking it on a gunshot wound. #RBILooted https://t.co/P7vEzWvTY3

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 27, 2019

The Congress leader posted the tweet a day after the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its decision to approve the transfer of Rs 1,76,051 crore to Centre. The RBI released a statement on Monday saying that it has decided "to transfer a sum of Rs 1,76,051 crore to the Government of India comprising Rs 1,23,414 crore of surplus for the year 2018-19 and Rs 52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF) adopted at the meeting of the Central Board."

The finance minister stressed that any questions raised about the credibility of RBI in wake of Jalan panel`s report is "outlandish". "The Bimal Jalan committee had eminent experts in it. It was constituted by the RBI themselves and not by the government. They have had several sittings and have come out with a formula to look at the excess capital framework. Now any suggestion about the credibility of RBI, therefore, for me seems a bit outlandish considering the committee was appointed by RBI themselves", she said.