Raghuram Rajan, the Reserve Bank of India Governor came into the news recently as his term comes to an end in September. Questions of whether he will be offered an extension remain unanswered, even as BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy maintains that Rajan is not fit for India. However, the government of India has said that Swamy’s claims will not affect Rajan’s re-appointment.
In a peculiar show of public support for an incumbent governor, nearly 60,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org – an online petition platform – asking to reinstate Rajan for another term.
The petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been started by Rajesh Palaria and has garnered 58,456 supporters so far.
In his petition, Palaria, as an Indian citizen, drew Modi’s attention to Rajan, saying he has been doing a great job by balancing and maneuvering the Indian economy.
Rajan has warranted other petitions too. There have been various petitioners coming out in support of Rajan, but none so far have received the kind of support Palaria has.
Petitions by Gita Subramaniam and Deepak Venkateswaran which got 18 and 55 supporters respectively, emphasised on Rajan’s presence as crucial for the Indian economy.
There are also examples of petitions against giving Rajan an extension.
Arguing his case against Rajan’s second term, Lokesh Rastogi whose petition garnered 16 supporters, asked how the economy would grow if the RBI Governor didn’t work at the same pace and direction as the government.
The petitions against Rajan have however not garnered much support.
(With inputs from IANS)
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