Former governor of the Reserve Bank of India Raghuram Rajan has clarified that he will not take another break from academics to become a member of the Rajya Sabha. The economist’s reaction came after reports on Wednesday said that the Aam Aadmi Party was looking to nominate Rajan for the seat.
“While Professor Rajan is engaged in a variety of educational activities in India, he has no plans to leave his full-time academic job at the University of Chicago,” his office at the varsity said in a statement, according to NDTV.
AAP does not plan to field any of its leaders for the three Rajya Sabha constituencies in Delhi, a party leader told PTI. The three seats will get vacant in January. A jurist and a social worker are likely to be the other two choices of the party, which has 66 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
Rajan’s three-year term as RBI governor ended on September 4, 2016. He said he would not seek a second term, an announcement that came after repeated criticism from Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.
Rajan was chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and is known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis three years before it happened. He is currently a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!