Ignoring Talent And Ensuring Mediocrity Is Not Nationalism, Says Rajan
Former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan took a jab at ‘nationalists’ in an interview with ET Now, saying people should not be suspicious about economists with foreign degrees.
He said ignoring talent and ensuring mediocrity was not nationalism.
In March, when data showed that gross domestic product (GDP) growth hadn’t been affected by demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a jibe at foreign-educated economists, saying hard work was more important than Harvard.
Rajan said it was unfair to label those who came from abroad as “fair-weather friends”.
Let me also add that sometimes there is a notion that we are fair-weather friends, who come when times are good and leave as soon as our leave expires. I didn’t leave when my leave expired; there was absolutely no issue about extending my leave, if necessary. I left when the government and I could not agree on terms for me to stay on. In that sense, the notion that we come to India for our sabbaticals is just not an appropriate criticism. Raghuram Rajan
Reacting to the criticism around his remarks on intolerance in 2015, Rajan said that he stood by every word of it. He said tolerance was India's strength and it would be a mistake to give it up and go backwards.