The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das and the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are facing mounting pressure from various quarters to step down from their posts over allegations of a massive scam and bomb threats aimed at the RBI, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank in Mumbai.
The scam, which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), involves the alleged siphoning off of funds from a public sector bank by a group of officials and businessmen. The CBI has registered an FIR against 12 people, including former RBI Deputy Governor R. Gandhi, former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, former HDFC Bank CEO Deepak Parekh, and others. The CBI has also attached properties worth Rs 1,000 crore belonging to the accused.
The bomb threats, which were sent to the RBI headquarters in Mumbai on Friday evening, have created panic among the staff and security personnel. The sender of the mail has demanded that Das and Sitharaman should step down or face “dire consequences”. The mail also claims that there will be 11 blasts at 11 locations in Mumbai if their demands are not met.
The mail has been traced to an IP address belonging to a person named Rajesh Kumar Singh, who is believed to be a disgruntled employee of ICICI Bank. Singh had earlier filed a complaint with the CBI against Kochhar for alleged irregularities in granting loans to certain entities. Singh has also posted several messages on social media expressing his anger and frustration with Das and Sitharaman for their alleged role in the scam.
Das and Sitharaman have not yet commented on the allegations or issued any statement regarding the bomb threats. However, they have been summoned by the Parliament on Monday for questioning by both houses over their handling of various issues such as inflation, taxation, banking regulation, etc.
The opposition parties have seized this opportunity to attack Das and Sitharaman for their alleged complicity in the scam and negligence in preventing it. They have also demanded that they should resign immediately or face impeachment proceedings. They have accused them of being “corrupt” and “irresponsible” for endangering public money and lives.
The ruling party has defended Das and Sitharaman by saying that they are innocent until proven guilty and that they have done their best to ensure financial stability and growth in the country. They have also blamed the opposition parties for creating unnecessary panic and confusion by spreading false rumours about bomb threats.
The matter is likely to create a political storm in the coming days as both sides try to gain an upper hand over each other. The fate of Das and Sitharaman hangs in balance as they await further developments from CBI investigations.
