When you invite the Governor of RBI for a ceremony, naturally you would expect him to speak on inflation, the monetary markets, or something related to finance.
So the gathering at the convocation of IIT Delhi was rather surprised to see Raghuram Rajan speak on tolerance and an atmosphere that encourages dissent too.
Whether what Dr. Rajan said was correct or not is not the scope of this article. But what the Governor of RBI should have realized is that certain norms and etiquette indeed need to be followed in his capacity as head of RBI.
For one, the international community will be listening to him and his remarks would be taken as a vindication of the current propaganda by the media.
If Dr. Rajan were really that concerned about the so called intolerant atmosphere in the nation, he ought to have communicated this privately to the government or the Prime Minister. If his fears were not assuaged even then, then he would have been justified in making his worries public.
Without even filing a police complaint, how can a person claim that he is being denied justice by the authorities?
Dr. Rajan and the government do not see eye to eye on many matters related to the fiscal policy of the nation. They have had their differences of opinion and the government has been decent enough not to let such disagreements come in the way of Dr. Rajan’s tenure.
Throughout his tussle with the Finance Ministry, Dr. Rajan has sought to and successfully asserted his identity as an independent man. But when it comes to speaking out on such issues as religious freedom etc, surely he has to exercise a bit of restraint in his official capacity? And on this occasion, he has clearly exceeded his brief.
