Timeline: How the RBI vs govt story unfolded in lead up to Patel's exit

The relationship between the RBI and the government has been strained for the past several months

Urjit Patel, Arun Jaitley
Business Standard
Last Updated : Dec 10 2018 | 11:22 PM IST

Reserve Bank Governor Urjit Patel, who faced the possibility of an unprecedented action from the government over differences on a variety of issues, Monday resigned from his job citing personal reasons.

Patel, 55, who took over as the 24th Governor of the central bank on September 5, 2016, had the shortest tenure since 1992.

He was hand-picked by the BJP-led government after his predecessor Raghuram Rajan was denied a second-term.

The relationship between the RBI and the government has been strained for the past several months. Here's a timeline of the events leading up to his resignation:
 
Aug 8, 2018: The government appoints S Gurumurthy and cooperative banker and Swadeshi supporter Satish Marathe to the RBI’s central board as independent directors
 
Mid-Sep: The government cuts short the term of RBI central board member and banker Nachiket Mor, also associated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
 
Oct 10: The government reportedly invokes the never-before-used Section 7 of the RBI Act to force decisions it wants the RBI to take through three letters with over a dozen demands. The RBI replies to these letters a week later
 
Oct 23: The RBI holds a marathon board meet that lasts for around eight hours but remains inconclusive on most issues that government brought in
 
Oct 26: Deputy Governor Viral Acharya goes public to assert the RBI’s autonomy, warns of the wrath of the markets if it is not maintained
 
Oct 29: Another Deputy Governor N S Vishwanathan delivers a speech in Jamshedpur, making clear the RBI’s reluctance to bring down capital levels for banks
 
Oct 31: The government reiterates need for the RBI autonomy as “essential” but calls for better governance of the central bank

Nov 3: Economic affairs secretary S C Garg cites improvements in market indices, the rupee and crude to make light of Acharya’s “wrath of markets” remarks

Nov 9: Garg says discussions are on to fix an “appropriate economic capital framework for the RBI” and says the government does not want the RBI’s money.
 
Nov 15: RSS ideologue and central board member S Gurumurthy says standoff between the RBI and the government not a “happy thing”
 
Nov 17: Ahead of the RBI board meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says growth should not be throttled by squeezing liquidity to the needy sectors
 
Nov 19: A 10-hour RBI central board meeting decides to set up a panel on the economic capital framework for RBI and directs it give forbearances to small businesses
 
Dec 5: Governor Urjit Patel refuses to answer queries on frictions between RBI and the government, amid reports of truce between 

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