New Delhi: The participation of former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra evoked a sarcastic reaction from the BJP which said that the former sees himself as the “next Manmohan Singh”.

Rajan and Gandhi were seen having a discussion while marching

Rajan earlier this morning joined Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan.

Taking a potshot at the former RBI Governor for his participation in the footmarch, BJP leader Amit Malviya said Rajan “fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh.” He also called his commentaries on India’s economy “opportunistic”.

“Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor, a Congress appointee, joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is not a surprise. He fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh. Just that his commentary on India’s economy should be discarded with disdain. It is coloured and opportunistic,” Malviya said in a tweet.

In videos shared on social media, Rajan and Gandhi were seen having a discussion while marching. The Congress’s footmarch resumed today from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan.

The Congress shared a picture of the two and tweeted in Hindi: “Shri Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of RBI, with @RahulGandhi ji… The increasing number of people standing up to unite the country against hatred shows that we will be successful.”

Rajan was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India during the second term of the UPA and the initial years of the Narendra Modi-led Central government

On the other hand, the Congress hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over it criticism of former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan for joining the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and said the entire BJP Cabinet cannot match the abilities of Rajan.

BJP had ridiculed Rajan for joining the Rahul Gandhi-led march in Rajasthan today saying his commentary on India’s economy should be discarded with “disdain” as it is “coloured and opportunistic”.

Hitting back at the saffron party, Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera told media that the party which has destroyed the economy of this country in the last about eight years has the cheek to question Rajan.

“The entire cabinet put together cannot match the abilities of Mr Raghuram Rajan. The decision of demonetisation, if they had consulted people like Mr Raghuram Rajan, believe me, the country’s economy would have been saved of the kind of disaster that Mr (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has pushed it into,” he said referring to BJP IT department head Amit Malviya’s criticism of the economist.

The Congress leader said that a lot of people from different sections of society want to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra and strengthen it.

People from the film industry, media fraternity, writers and others from different walks of life, want to still walk with Rahul Gandhi and strengthen the yatra, he said.