The beef controversy has Moody’s Analytics cautioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his party members shooting their mouth off. The matter has since been extensively discussed on cooperative platform of social media.
One of the social media activists writes” This report prepared by a 24 year old BA (Economics) working as a new recruit may arouse anyone’s suspicion.”
Sahakar Bharati Chief Satish Marathe has weighed in coming down on the controversy as an exercise in vilification. Writing on his Face Book wall Marathe wondered“Is it not the beginning of international gang up against the non pliable pro India Govt of BJP? Will the West not lose India if vilification continues?
Underlining the fact that the BJP did not have a majority in the Upper House, the report says it is difficult to pass crucial reform bills. “In recent times, the Government also hasn’t helped itself, with controversial comments from various BJP members… Modi must keep his members on a tight leash or risk losing domestic and global credibility,” the report said.
Interestingly the comments in the report are independent of those of the ratings arm, which had earlier this month forecast 7-7.5 per cent GDP growth for India in the current year, the highest among the G20 economies.
Moody’s rival international rating agency Standard & Poor’s on October 20 affirmed its ‘BBB’ long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term sovereign credit ratings for India, adding that its outlook continued to remain stable, according to Hindu.
Joining the debate one of Marathe’s friends says “Satish, you are right. Rating companies have been exposed before like mortgage crisis 2008 with their own credibility in question and they are susceptible to lobbying efforts by special interest.”
Several others writing freely on social media felt “There is wide spread belief noticeable on social media that the vilification campaign is well orchestrated, and greased by cabals of international interests. The anti – India campaign has Indian faces on surface, though run by unseen forces with masterly skill in the art of maneuvering & destabilizing democratically elected governments”, many regretted.
Arun Jaitley the Union Finance Minister has called such opposition by the writers and artists as “manufactured rebellion “aimed at ulterior motive. Tavleen Singh, another columnist has christened it as “an illiberal move by the so-called liberals”. She has wondered if it is the first time that a Dadari-like incident has taken place in the country.