Raghuram Rajan takes a dig at his 'obituaries', says: 'Don't write me off, I'll be around'

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan takes a dig at his "obituaries", saying he will be around "a lot in India" even after leaving the central bank, and that he should not be written off as yet.

The comments come within days of Rajan making public his 'no' to a second term at Reserve Bank after his current three-year tenure ends on September 4.

I feel like in the last few days I have read a lot of my obituaries and I'm still here. I'm still here for two-and-half months in this job. After that I'm going to still be around somewhere in the world, probably a lot in India, so don't write me off, he said.

During the question-and-answer session, he added,

The only thing I will say is that I read these obituaries in the papers. I am still alive. I will leave this office in September, but I certainly will be coming in and out of the country on numerous occasions. I will be reading and writing and I will be speaking at fora like this said Rajan, who has been hailed as a 'rockstar' central banker for containing inflation and checking rupee volatility despite global headwinds.

As the former Chief Economist at International Monetary Fund (IMF), he was credited for predicting the 2008 global financial crisis. Hailed as a rockstar central banker for containing inflation and checking rupee volatility, Rajan made this observation at the start of his speech at an interactive industry meet organised by business chamber Assocham.

Also read : Raghuram Rajan bids farewell, will not seek a second term as RBI Governor

Amid political attacks and criticism from some quarters for not lowering interest rates enough to boost economy, Rajan had, on Saturday, announced that he would return to academics after his term ends, putting to rest all speculation over his continuance.

Few days ago, the Internet was abuzz with online petitions asking for Rajan's second term as RBI chief, which incidentally gained over 60,000 signatures, his withdrawal has brought in a lot of disappointment for those who expected to see more of him.