Tit for tat: BJP drags Abhijit Banerjee into political row, also targets FinMin Nirmala's husband

New Delhi: A day after India-born economist Abhijit Banerjee earned global fame for himself and the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday dragged him into the election heat and dust and invited all to "a five-day fame.'

"Eco system on the roll again as polling dates of Haryana and Maharashtra draws nearer. Manmohan Singh will address press on October 19 (Saturday). Abhijit Banerjee starts giving interviews," tweeted BJP general secretary in charge Organisation B L Santosh.

A Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh pointsman to the ruling party, Mr Santosh did not spare Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman's husband Parakala Prabhakar. He posted on the micro blogging site: "...... Mr Parakala Prabhakar of yesteryears comes out suddenly. Welcome all for a 5-day fame".

It may be mentioned here that within hours of the mega announcement that he will be honoured with this year's Nobel prize for economics along with two others, Mr Banerjee had expressed concern at the Indian economy, asserting it is going into a "tailspin.'

"The economy (in India) is doing very badly in my view," Mr Banerjee told a news conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after the Nobel Prize panel announcement. Asked about his opinion on the state of the economy in India and its future, he said, "That's a statement not about what will work in the offing but about what's going on now.'