New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday attacked the government after the Indian rupee sank to an all-time low against the dollar, terming it as a “shameful” and “black day” for the economy.
In 2013, the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi used to frequently taunt prime minister Manmohan Singh for fall in the rupee value. It’s a payback time for the Congress as the Indian currency plunged below 69 against dollar, a lifetime low, on Thursday.
With the rupee losing 9.25 per cent against the dollar since 2018, the Congress mocked Modi for the rupee’s free fall.
“Dear Modiji, You mocked Dr Manmohan Singh comparing his age to the value of depreciating currency, which never really fructified. Now it is at a historic low of 68.61 to the dollar, surpassing your age. When will it be restored to 45 to the dollar as you promised?” tweeted Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. Modi is 67.
The previous low for rupee was 68.8650 vs dollar on November 24, 2016. In the run-up to 2014 elections, Modi had asked whose age the fall in the rupee reflected – the prime minister or the finance minister. P Chidambaram, finance minister, was 67.
“Question for the Congress is – do we save the government or the falling rupee,” Modi had tweeted in 2013. “The UPA government and the rupee seem to be in a competition with each other as who will tumble more,” read another tweet.
“The rupee falls to a record low dropping to 69 per dollar! Those who screamed murder when the rupee fell to 52 a dollar in times of Dr Manmohan Singh aren’t to be heard also,” tweeted the Mahila Congress.
By the evening ‘the rupee in ICU’ was trending on the twitter. The government was also reminded of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement at that time that “rupee has lost its value, PM has lost his grace”. Her jibe, directed at Manmohan Singh, aptly fitted Modi now.
