New Delhi (CNN Business) India has raced to appoint a former senior government official as new head of its central bank, stoking fears about political meddling as clouds gather over the economy. Barely 24 hours after Urjit Patel quit as governor of the Reserve Bank of India , the government appointed former finance ministry official Shaktikanta Das as his successor. Patel's sudden resignation followed a rift between the central bank and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which was reportedly leaning on him to do more to boost the economy months before an election. The speed of the appointment has also raised eyebrows and will suggest "that he was handpicked beforehand," Pronab Sen, India's former chief statistician and country director for the International Growth Centre, told CNN Business. "As RBI governor, his [duty] should be the independence and integrity of the RBI."

Source: CNN December 11, 2018 16:41 UTC