Rupee hits historic low of 70: Opposition mocks Narendra Modi ahead of Independence Day; re-plugs old videos on Twitter

The rupee has touched a new historic low hitting Rs 70 against the US dollar. While the government has blamed "external factors" for the rupee's fall to an all-time low against the US dollar and said there is nothing to worry, the Opposition has come all out with their opinions on Twitter.

File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AP

From pulling out videos of the prime minister talking about the rupee vis a vis dollar to the long-ago comment of his 56-inch chest during an election rally in 2014 to the rupee value during the UPA under Manmohan Singh as the prime minister, the Opposition spared nothing while hitting out at the government for the rupee dropping to 70.

Here are a few tweets that members from some parties tweeted out today:

Rahul Gandhi tweeted an old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi talking about the rupee and called the talk 'master class on economics', which was retweeted by Sanjay Jha, the party's national spokesperson.

The CPI-M said the rupee 'loudly' tells the story of 'the government's total failure and incompetence in handling the economy':

Tweeting the same video that Rahul Gandhi has tweeted, Niranjan Patnaik, President, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, and former Cabinet Minister said, 'listen to golden words of Modiji' and hashtagged his tweet CongressIsWinning:

Aaditya Thackeray, president of the Shiv Sena's youth wing, Yuva Sena put out tongue-in-cheek comments in two tweets on the rise of the rupee which he compared to 71 years of Independence tomorrow (15 August 2018), and said "at 71 years of Independence, we are touching 70".

Thackeray also tweeted what he recalled as an earlier promise by the government to bring the rupee at par with the dollar

Kapil Sibal, former HRD minister, 'congratulated' the prime minister for doing what the Congress could not for 60 years with regard to the rupee value.

Amit Chavda said the prime minister had 'mocked' former prime minister Manmohan Singh when the rupee depreciated. But now, he said, the rupee was at a historic low:

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress MP, blamed the government for the state of affairs and asked when would the prime minister and his party take the responsibility for what he termed as the'deplorable state of the economy':

Sanjay Jha said the rupee had turned septugenarian and the prime minister had put it under superannuation benefits:

Ashok Gehlot, former chief minister of Rajasthan said the prime minister's leadership 'has actually landed the rupee in ICU':

Divya Spandana, who handles the social media and digital communication for the Congress said the prime minister had managed to do 'something' the Congres could not with regard to the falling rupee:

However, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chander Garg said external factors may ease going forward.

"Rupee is depreciating due to external factors," he said. There is "nothing at this stage to worry".

The rupee hit an all-time low of 70.1 to a US dollar earlier today on concerns over Turkey's economic woes.