NEW DELHI: Giving a shot in the arm to those supporting a second term for Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, an RTI reply from the central bank has made it clear that he is an Indian passport holder, silencing his critics who had questioned his nationality.
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Responding to a petition under RTI after three years, RBI has said that the present citizenship of the Governor is Indian, and that it has no knowledge about his earlier citizenship. The reply was sought by Delhi-based RTI activist Subhash Agrawal on the basis of a news report dated August 12, 2013 raising doubt about his citizenship. A second term for Rajan has become a matter of intense speculations after senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy slammed his policies and accused him of causing damage to the Indian economy and failing to create economic opportunities. His current term ends in September this year. Swamy has a support of a section within the BJP who has openly opposed his continuance as the RBI chief.
On the other hand, there are at least seven online petitions doing the rounds in support of a second term for Rajan and they have together garnered nearly 60,000 signatures so far. They have signed online petition, asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow a second term to Rajan.