Daijiworld Media Network
New Delhi, May 6: Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan has clarified that he has not been appointed as the governor of the Bank of England.
Messages that he has been selected for the coveted post has been making rounds on social media like Facebook WhatsApp.
The post was first uploaded by an individual user on April 28 on Facebook. The post reads, "Congratulating Mr. Raghuram Rajan, elected as Governor for Bank of England. And, as usual, whatever we Indians have with us, the value of those things is recognised by foreigners and they take it away."
As soon as this post was shared it became viral and entered other social media platforms too such as twitter and whatsapp.
This fake news was also published on Siasat.com and MP Shashi Tharoor believing its validity tweeted the same on May 5 and shared the link of the news published on The Siasat Daily.
“Remarkable: India's RaghuramRajan has been appointed Governor of the Bank of England! With an Indian (NasserHusain) having captained the England cricket team already, all that's left to complete a reverse colonization is for an Indian to be Prime Minister,” Shashi Tharoor tweeted.
It was Alt News that brought clarity into the issue by contacting Raghuram Rajan. "Sorry, but this is fake news. I am happy with my current job and have not searched for, nor got, any other," Rajan clarified.
Shashi Tharoor later tweeted again saying he too believed the fake news. "Seems I was taken in by fake news too. Thanks @AltNews for setting the record straight," he said.
After his stint as the RBI Governor, Rajan moved back to Chicago and is teaching at the Booth School of Business.
Philip Hammond, UK chancellor is initiating the process to select the next governor of Bank of England to replace Mark Carney next year. An article on Financial Times had written that Raghuram Rajan could be a strong contender for the post.
The Siasat Daily has taken down the news.