BJP equates falling rupee's value to Cong leaders' age

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday attempted a political satire to explain the weakening rupee, linking the domestic currency’s gradual depreciating value against the dollar over a period of time to the progression of ages of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, her mother Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. 

“The worth of the Indian rupee against the dollar was equivalent to Rahul Gandhi’s age when the United Progressive alliance (UPA) came to power. Today it is equal to Sonia Gandhi’s age, and very soon it will touch Manmohan Singh’s age,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is now 41 years of age, her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is 67 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 80. 

The exchange rate for a dollar is hovering around the historic low of Rs 60 for the last three months, which has left the government worried.

When the UPA came to power for the first time in 2004, the conversion rate was Rs 43 to a dollar, and the currency went down further after the Congress-led coalition returned to power in 2009. 

Prasad, Deputy leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, stated in Wednesday’s press conference that he would use political humour to describe BJP’s view on the tumbling rupee, which is rare in the nation’s crass political discourse.

“The Indian rupee's value against the US dollar after a sharp fall is at an all-time low of 60.15, which in simple term means that one US dollar fetches Rs 60.15. In between May and July 9, it has depreciated from Rs 53 to Rs 60.15. Apart from seriously hurting national pride, this drastic fall is directly related to the gross mismanagement of Indian economy by the present UPA government,” said the BJP leader.

Prasad hoped that his satire would be taken in the right spirit, fearing that the Congress reacts differently whenever any reference is made to “10 Janpath”.
The Congress reacted angrily to the BJP comparing the slide of the rupee with the ruling party's leaders' ages.

“I pity the understanding of the BJP. They are showing their class and their intelligence,” said Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury.

She said that perhaps the BJP leaders were weak in their understanding of finance and economics. “What was the condition of the rupee when they were in power? The BJP has very little to contribute, other than making negative comments,” added Chowdhury.