Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, in a recent interview, said that his family does not want him to enter politics. He said rather than entering politics, he would like to help guide where he can. "I have said repeatedly and people still don't believe me. I am an academic, my business is not kissing babies. I have a family and a wife, who doesn't want me to enter politics for a good reason. So rather than enter politics what I would like to do is help guide where I can," he said during an interview with Vir Sanghvi for ThePrint.
"And that's what I try and do. So where I feel government policies are going off track regardless of whether I'm government or not - I talk about it," the former Governor said when asked about speculation that he may, at some point, join Congress.
Rajan was also asked about his closeness with Rahul Gandhi and whether he advises the former Congress chief. The economist said Rahul Gandhi is often depicted as someone who doesn't have the capabilities to think and lead. "I think that's such a wrong portrayal in the sense that you know he's smart, intelligent, and also brave. I think what people discount - which they should not - is this is a family which has seen the grandmother assassinated, the father blown up," he said.
"To engage in politics, to be in the midst of crowds - if I had that experience I'd be hiding in a bed all the time. So I think there are a lot of attributes that are commendable and if you look at his record of what he's been saying on events. I think he's been right during Covid...(when he said) we need to do more preparation, we need to act early. It was the Congress calling off rallies which eventually led to the stopping politicking during the second wave."
The former governor, who has been critical of the Modi government's some of policies like PLI schemes and massive investment in the chip industry, said he does not want to say that Rahul Gandhi has all the answers. "He (Rahul Gandhi) is a very reasonable leader contrary to what has been portrayed. He has strong convictions, you have to debate those convictions if you disagree with them but he's perfectly willing to engage in that debate."
The buzz that Raghuram Rajan may join the Congress in the future picked up when he joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022. Rajan also had a conversation with Rahul Gandhi on the sidelines of the yatra. Reacting to this development, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said Rajan joining Rahul Gandhi's yatra was "not a surprise". "He fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh. Just that his commentary on India’s economy should be discarded with disdain. It is coloured and opportunistic."