Chartered Accountant and RSS idealogue Swaminathan Gurumurthy has been appointed as the new part-time, non-official directors on the central board of Reserve Bank of India.
Gurumurthy, who is the co-convenor of RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch had gained recognition from his views on Swadeshi economics.
Apart from CA, he is also a journalist and works for Tamil political weekly Tughlak as an editor. The Department of Financial Services of the Ministry of Finance had recommended the names. According to the RBI Act, only the well-known economists and those having immensely strong careers in finance and banking are usually nominated.
Gurumurthy’s stand on demonetisation
Gurumurthy was a great admirer of government’s stand on demonetisation. He has praised PM Modi’s step of banning note. He called it a fundamental corrective to the economy much like the liberalisation of 1990. He also contradicted the idea of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s assertion on demonetisation that professed it will damage Indian Economy.
Instinct as an Investigative Journalist
Gurumurthy is one of the journalists who played a crucial role in exposing Bofors Scam. Following this he was also arrested and sent to jail by the then government of Rajiv Gandhi, but did nothing could kill his appetite for investigative journalism. Being a close friend of Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka, the duo had a go at Reliance Industries during 1980. Later they uncovered multiple fraud cases on the crony capitalism policy influencing polyester industries in a row. This was perhaps his maiden investigative report series in his journalism career.
Recently Chidambaram family was in news for having suspicious financial dealings. Gurumurthy played a major role in the whole investigation by exposing Karthi Chidambaram’s link with the Advantage Strategic Consultancy Pvt Ltd.
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The zeal of writing for Business
Coming from a finance background and being a Chartered Accountant by profession, Gurumurthy also had a keen eye in Indian Economy and government’s policies towards Indian Economy. From time to time he also wrote on economic policies. Neither did he think twice before criticising government over its policies towards Indian economy.
Association with RSS
Gurumurthy is closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ever since he was a student in college. He has a strong belief in RSS ideologies. He serves as visiting faculty in IIT Bombay and a professor in Sastra University. He also voiced his perspectives on Dravidian philosophy very strongly. He says, “Dravidianism is an anti-Hindu political idea. Even a famous Brahmin like VP Raman was in it.”
When I say Dravidian or anti Hindu parites some think I mean non brahmin castes. It is wrong. Dravidianism is anti Hindu political idea. Even a famous Brahmin like VP Raman was in it. Rajaji asked Brahmins to support it in 1967 holding the poonal. Don’t mix caste in it. https://t.co/G7h3avX8wZ
— S Gurumurthy (@sgurumurthy) August 5, 2018
Over his appointment as part-time, non-official directors on the central board of RBI, he tweets…
Story of my appointment as director RBI. This is the first directorship ever. Never accepted any private or PSU directorship. Not even audit of PSUs or Pvt cos. Wanted to be free to speak. But when pressure built up I am needed to do something in public interest I had to accept.
— S Gurumurthy (@sgurumurthy) August 8, 2018