Chennai: Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan’s father has said that Rajan may have stayed on at the post if the government had reacted promptly when the attacks on him started.
Retired senior bureaucrat R Govindarajan told The Indian Express in an interview, “I feel if the government had responded promptly when the attacks started, possibly he wouldn’t have come to this decision.”
Bhartiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Subrmanian Swamy had launched a campaign against Rajan and wrote no less than two letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking to sack the RBI Governor.
In a letter dated May 16, Swamy urged PM to “terminate” Rajan’s services “effective immediately” or when his term ends in September because he was “mentally not fully Indian”.
“He is in this country on a Green Card provided by the US government and therefore mentally not fully Indian. Otherwise why would he renew his Green Card as RBI Governor by making the mandatory annual visit to the US to keep the Green Card current?” wrote Swamy.
Pained by personal attacks on her son, Rajan’s mother Mythili said, “Let anyone question his policies, or style of functioning. But isn’t it unfair attacking someone personally, questioning his patriotism?”
Given the long service of her husband, who retired as a senior Intelligence officer, Mythili seemed deeply hurt by the patriotism charge against her son.
“Life hasn’t been easy for us. My husband was the kind of man who lived for his job, who considered his wife, children all secondary. It was left to me to manage the children,” she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the attacks on Rajan that began almost two months ago, saying “such things are inappropriate”. He also said, “Raghuram Rajan’s patriotism is no less than ours… Those who speak such language are doing great injustice to him.”
Rajan, who was appointed as RBI Governor by UPA govt for three years, announced on June 18 that he would not seek a second term at the office. His term will end on September 4.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had launched an attack against Rajan following which Rajan decided not to continue as RBI Governor. In his letter to RBI staff, Rajan said he would return to academia after his term ends.
"... on due reflection, and after consultation with the government, I want to share with you that I will be returning to academia when my term as Governor ends on September 4, 2016," Rajan said in his letter.
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