The other day, I was having conversation with a friend who is an unwavering Modi supporter.
The conversation drifted to the rupee.
He immediately launched into a detailed explanation of why the rupee’s weakness has nothing to do with the government.
“Look at the global situation,” he said.
“The dollar is strong. Oil prices are volatile. There are wars. There is uncertainty in the global economy. Every currency is under pressure.”
I nodded.
Everything he said was correct.
Then I asked him, “So you’re saying a currency’s value isn’t determined only by the government in power?”
“Of course not,” he replied confidently.
“Global factors matter.”
Excellent.
I then pulled up some old speeches and headlines from 2013.
I reminded him how Narendra Modi had relentlessly attacked the UPA over the falling rupee.
Back then, every decline in the rupee was portrayed as a national embarrassment.
Every fall was presented as proof of weak leadership.
The famous line was that the Congress and the rupee were competing to see who could fall faster.
Suddenly my friend became uncomfortable.
So I continued.
“In 2013, when the rupee was around ₹60 to the dollar, India was still one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world. Even during difficult global conditions after the 2008 financial crisis, India managed years of strong GDP growth. Infrastructure expanded, telecom exploded, the IT sector flourished, foreign exchange reserves were far stronger than in the crisis years, and India remained one of the world’s most attractive emerging markets.”
He interrupted.
“But there were problems too.”
“Of course there were,” I replied.
“No government is perfect. But that’s not the point.”
The point is consistency.
If today’s rupee weakness is due to global factors, then the UPA was unfairly blamed.
If the UPA was responsible for every fall in the rupee, then today’s government must also accept responsibility.
You cannot blame Manmohan Singh for a rupee at ₹60 and then discover international economics when the rupee is much weaker.
You cannot spend a decade telling people that a falling rupee is proof of failed governance and then suddenly explain that exchange rates are influenced by global markets, capital flows, oil prices, interest rates and geopolitics.
My friend looked at me and said:
“Politics is different.”
And there it was.
Not economics.
Not GDP.
Not exchange rates.
Not global factors.
Just politics.
I smiled and replied:
“Exactly. The rupee remained a currency. It was the explanation that got demonetised.”
He laughed.
I laughed.
Then I told him:
“What’s truly remarkable is that when the rupee was around ₹60, everyone was apparently a currency expert. Today, to discuss the rupee, you need a doctorate in global economics, a specialization in geopolitics, a thesis on crude oil, and a fellowship from the US Federal Reserve.”
By this point, my friend had quietly stopped defending the rupee and started defending the argument.
And that’s when I realised something.
The economics never changed.
The rules never changed.
The global factors were always there.
Only the political interpretation changed.
In 2013, a falling rupee was a slogan.
In 2026, a falling rupee is a seminar.
The rupee’s exchange rate changed over the years.
The exchange rate of excuses changed even faster.
Congress's decline cannot be separated from the growing religious polarisation of voters, especially in North India. Many observers agree that no previous ruling party has pursued such divisive politics so openly for electoral gain, while concerns about the increasing influence of the establishment over democratic institutions have also grown over the past decade.
In these circumstances, Congress and Rahul Gandhi have helped keep democratic opposition alive and prevented a complete erosion of democratic checks and balances.
Countering polarisation cannot be the responsibility of Congress alone; it requires all democratic and secular forces to join the fight.
Scholars like Ramachandra Guha, instead of acknowledging these challenges and be part of the team to defend democraic values, shouldn't simply blame Rahul and help the society-dividers!
@ShashiTharoor@Ram_Guha@RahulGandhi@INCIndia
एंकर ओर BJP प्रवक्ता - बस थोड़ी सी ही महंगाई बढ़ी है!
जवाब - सुबह उठते ही 29₹ गैस का दाम बढ़ गया, थोड़ा सा बढ़ा!
1% के पास 40% धन है, हमसे थोड़ा सा हो ज्यादा है!
19% बच्चे कुपोषित है, बस थोड़ा सा कुपोषित है!
हर तीसरा बच्चा बौना पैदा होता है, थोड़ा सा बौना पैदा हो रहा!
भारत भुखमरी में 123 देशों में 102 वें नंबर पर है, बस थोड़ा सा भुखमरी है!
ये कैसा थोड़ा सा है? शर्म भी नहीं आती!
मोदी जी कहते है, देश संकट में है जनता पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट से चले!
शाम होते ही, महामानव 30-32 गाड़ियों के काफिले के साथ रोडशो पर निकल जाते है!
फिर कहते है, विदेश भ्रमण मत करिए और दूसरे ही दिन 4 देशों की विदेशी यात्रा पर मेलोडी खिलाने निकल पड़ते है!
SBI की रिसर्च कहती है कि गरीबी रेखा में वो आते है गाँव में जिनका महीने की आमदनी 1,632 रुपये, और शहर में 1,944 रुपये है वो गरीब है। उससे 1₹ ज्यादा वाले अमीर है?
यह आंकड़ों में गरीब को मिटाने का तरीका है। रेखा इतनी नीचे खींच दो कि कोई उसके नीचे बचे ही नहीं। और ऐसे सबको अमीर बना दो?
Come on, @Ram_Guha, this is a bit much. What experience did Barack Obama, a first-term Senator from Illinois, have in world affairs when he became President of the most powerful country on earth, while it was caught up in multiple global issues? For that matter, how much international exposure did the CM of Gujarat have to manage India’s International relationships? @RahulGandhi has led a national party for a dozen years. He has extensive contacts with leaders around the world and no shortage of advisers inside and outside his party. No President or PM handles crises alone; that’s why he heads a government! I think it’s time to put this overblown controversy to rest.
पनौतिकाल मे पनौति की बदनसीबी कहर बरपा रही है 💥🔥
80 KM की रफ्तार से हवा को झेल ना सके तो सोच सकते हो कि घोटला किस हद तक हुआ है, जिस हिसाब से पुल। ब्रिज गिर रहे हैं तो लगता है कि पूरा सिस्टम मिला हुआ है.
THIS IS TEACHERS HOLDING THE MIC NOW 🔥
ANJANA: YouTube teachers chase fake views and talk nonsense.
B.M SIR 🎯: These are the same YouTube teachers who raise NEET, NET, Lekhpal and SI paper leak issues.
ANJANA: Teachers should only teach.
B.M SIR ⚡️: Exactly. Raising paper leaks was your job. If you did it, teachers wouldn’t have to.
ANJANA: They do it for views.
B.M SIR 🔥: Teachers teach poor students from villages at tiny fees. They face lathis for students, but they don’t sell their conscience.
@jaypanicker When you guys will stop politics and do real work ? You are governing india and most of the states but still all kind of chaos because you just want to win elections by blaming others