JAIPUR: "There's no early end to the economic slowdown that has gripped India," said a worried Abhijeet Banerjee, the star attraction of Jaipur Literature Festival.
In a wide range of discussions with journalist Srinivasan Jain, the Nobel laureate underlined the economic slowdown as the biggest problem that India is facing today. "It does not seem that we will be able to get out of this problem soon. It will take a long time. We do not yet have enough money to improve the economy. We can invest in the banking sector. There is a need to work on many things gradually to improve the economy," Banerjee said.
When asked if he should take over the affairs of the Reserve Bank of India, Banerjee said he neither has any desire nor the expertise to become the RBI governor and tackle the current crisis. "To become an RBI governor it is necessary that you are a micro-economist. I have stayed away from microeconomics, it never happens that a person who does not know the intricacies of microeconomics is made a governor," he said.
Referring to one of his campaigns in Uttar Pradesh, Abhijit Banerjee said "In that campaign, we had appealed people not to vote on the basis of religion and caste. Our effort in the campaign was that people should vote, keeping in mind, development and other basic issues which the country is facing."
Banerjee declined to make any comments on the ongoing issues around the CAA and NRC. However, on a specific question related to Congress, he stressed on the need for a strong opposition to strengthen India's democracy. "I think India needs a good opposition party. Opposition is the heart of any democracy."