My leave wasn’t an issue in exit: Raghuram Rajan

New Delhi : Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has debunked the theory that Chicago University’s refusal to extend his leave forced his departure, saying it was never an issue and he wanted to stay longer at the RBI to complete the unfinished task of clean-up of banks.

Rajan said there was no proposal from the government to continue beyond the first 3-year tenure which ended on September 4, 2016. A former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rajan, is the first Governor since 1992 to not have got a five-year term.

Rajan, who was appointed RBI Governor by the previous UPA government, had on several occasions run into opinion difference with the government. The outspoken governor, who is widely credited with having anticipated the 2008 global financial meltdown a couple of years ahead of it, soon became an eyesore for many, not only because of his views on economic reforms and independence of RBI, but also on social issues.

He had courted controversy in 2015 lecture where he talked about growing intolerance in the country, deviating from his usual focus on monetary policy issues. After his exit created a furor, quarters close to the government had stated that Rajan was offered a two-year extension, but problem was his inability to get a further extension of leave of absence from the Chicago University without losing his valuable tenure.

“I can refute that completely, that was not the issue. The university has been very good to me. They were happy to give as much leave (as I wanted),” he said.