Rifat Jawaid
When your claims are not directly in sync with your actions, the biggest casualty in this self-claimed neutrality is your reputation.
Writer Chetan Bhagat is fast realising this phenomenon and may silently be kicking himself for going overboard in his display of passionate love for the Narendra Modi and the RSS affiliate organisations particularly when the United Progressive Alliance led by Manmohan Singh was in power.
The period between 2008 and 2013 was of immense economic upheaval, as the world experienced, not only a recession but an economic depression of sorts. While the mightiest of economies including America, Gulf countries and Europe bore the brunt of the economic meltdown, India could not remain unaffected. If anything, India continued to deliver over 5% of annual growth even when Britain and America faced double-dip recession.
It was a period, that the Indian rupee saw devaluation, but not a free fall as sought to be projected by vested interests such as Bhagat owing allegiance to the right-wing groups.
Thanks to the advent of social media platforms this new breed of ‘economists’ were now able to showcase their hidden ‘talent’ on economy.
Suddenly, India discovered that Baba Ramdev’s talent was more than just teaching yoga and running Patanjali, Sri Sri Ravinshankar possessed rare skills of predicting about the fate of Indian rupee and Bhagat was about to include yet another talent in his CV- Analyst on global economy.
Let’s have a look at the tweets posted by Bhagat, who clearly thinks he’s the greatest ever gift to mankind and his allegedly mediocre writing coupled with a bit of PR and sycophancy for the ruling class are just enough to earn him a secure place in Indian history.
The rupee is collapsing and neither the economist PM nor the first family has anything to say about it.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) June 11, 2013
The rupee is collapsing and neither the economist PM nor the first family has anything to say about it.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) June 11, 2013
Rupee at 65. Shows how fragile the economy is. Will take years to bring confidence back. Bad times ahead.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 22, 2013
Rupee at 67. Foreigners are saying this country is in meltdown.Of course all foreigners are jealous bad people who can't see our greatness.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
Well, India’s so-called literary sensation has taken to twitter, once again, to comment on Indian economy and devaluation of rupee in particular. And just like his assertion in 2013, once again his arguments are bereft sanity even this time around.
Here’s what he tweeted when confronted by actor-director Kamal R Khan, who sarcastically described him as a bigger economist than even Manmohan Singh.
But you are the #1 in everything sir. Am no economist. Never claimed to be one. MMS was a politician too. https://t.co/QDEZObW6NE
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
UAE Dirham is a $ pegged currency, like Hong Kong. Possible for small economies. Rupee floats. Not apt comparison. https://t.co/Si64paSQto
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
Rupee at 68 isn't good news. Lot of it explained by global battering of emerging markets, but we can do a lot better with economic reforms.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
interest rate differential of around 7% between $ and Rupee. Over long-term, rupee will depreciate that much, or Rs4-5 per year.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
Global emerging market stocks are down 29% in one year, situation not seen since 2008. India getting dragged with it.https://t.co/FcIGqAauy2
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
But he does acknowledge the fact that primarily the government is headed by his ideological mentor, who he can criticise only at his peril.
Poet and Aam Aadmy Party leader Kumar Vishwas on Fridayappeared to have touched a raw nerve of Bhagat by digging out his old tweets of Bhagat.
This left him utterly rattled forcing him to resort to name-calling and innuendos unbecoming of a writer of repute he expects India to treat him as.
See his twitter reactions to Vishwas;
Dear friend @DrKumarVishwas . Please don't mislead your followers by RTing 3y old tweets about currency markets out of context. (1/3)
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
Dear @DrKumarVishwas I understand u have a job to do and a PM to hate,but Rupee movements do happen for variety of reasons.can explain (2/3)
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
However @DrKumarVishwas I won't discuss with you coz u make personal attacks and say unsavoury things, a level i can't sink to. thanks (3/3)
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
You just proved my point, with inane personal remarks. now u chill before boss above says not to talk to me. shhh… https://t.co/aZx18G0oPV
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
shayar ji, hum par bhaar nahi raajneeti ka, aap dhyan se rehna. mufflerwale ne daant diya, to phir humse na kehna. https://t.co/liSKN4sX4a
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) January 22, 2016
Whether Bhagat is indeed bereft of common sense or what he does on twitter is a mere gimmick to provoke social media users to gain the much needed publicity is debatable.
But, such inconsistencies often reaching nonsensical proportions has pushed away many readers who once loved him as writer, albeit based on false notions. The more he indulges in such gimmickry, more ridicule he will cause for himself.
The hurt Bhagat causes to his reputation doesn’t really bother me, our readers seem to love any shenanigan attached to Bhagat. Precisely the reason, why I’m not complaining!