MP Nishikant Dubey to sue former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg

BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey has announced plans to file a criminal defamation lawsuit against former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg. The dispute escalated following comments made by Garg during a recent podcast.

In the podcast, Garg alleged that during his tenure as Finance Secretary, certain MPs—implying Dubey—approached him with files or matters that appeared to be lobbying or brokering on behalf of private companies. The tension between the two also stems from Garg’s recent questioning of India’s 7.8 percent GDP growth rate figures.

Dubey has denied all allegations, stating that since becoming an MP in 2009, he has never visited a central government secretary’s office for such purposes, noting that protocol places an MP above a secretary. He challenged Garg to provide evidence of any such meetings or recommendations. Garg served as the Secretary of Economic Affairs from 2017 to 2019 and as Finance Secretary from March to June 2019 before taking voluntary retirement.