‘Rahul Gandhi not a pappu… a smart man’: Raghuram Rajan hails Congress leader

After joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Raghuram Rajan had said 2023 will be difficult for the Indian economy as also for the rest of the world and the country failed to "generate reforms" needed for growth.

Rahul Gandhi is in no way a "pappu" (fool) and is a “smart man”, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan said when asked about the Congress leader's political image in public.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan during the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra.(PTI File)

"I think the image is unfortunate. I have spent close to a decade interacting with them on many fronts. He (Rahul Gandhi]) is in no way a pappu… He is a smart, young, curious man," Rajan, who had joined the Wayanad MP during the Congress's ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Rajasthan in December, told India Today on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

Rajan added, "I think it is important to have a good sense of what the priorities are, the basic risks and the ability to evaluate them. I think Rahul Gandhi is perfectly capable of doing that," India Today quoted Rajan as saying

After joining the Bharata Jodo Yatra, Rajan had said 2023 will be difficult for the Indian economy as also for the rest of the world and the country failed to "generate reforms" needed for growth.

He also said policies should be formulated keeping in mind the lower middle class which suffered the most due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rajan also pitched for creating a conducive environment for small and medium-scale industries and giving a push to a green revolution in the field of sustainable energy.

On Wednesday, the former RBI governor said it is too premature to think that India will replace China when it comes to influencing global economic growth. However, the situation may change going forward as India is already the world's fifth-largest economy, it is growing and has the potential to keep expanding.

(With inputs from PTI)