'Some jealous of India's growing economy': Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman slams Congress
On Monday, the rupee declined 35 paise to 82.63 against the US dollar in early trade as heavy selling pressure in domestic equities and a strong greenback in the overseas market weighed on investor sentiments.
FollowUnion finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday (December 12) replied to a question in Lok Sabha on India's currency devaluation and lamented that "some people in Parliament are jealous" of the country's growing economy.
Addressing the Parliament, Sitharaman said, "India has the fastest-growing economy but the opposition has a problem with it. Everyone should be proud of India's growth but some people take it as a joke."
Also read:Â Delhi HC issues notice to police on bail plea of conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar's actor wife Leena Maria Paul
The Union finance minister's comments come after Congress MP Anumula Revanth Reddy questioned in which he had asked whether the government has taken note of the fact that the Indian currency is "weakening day-by-day and has hit Rs 83 per US dollar for the first time ever" and sought details of action taken to stem the slide.
Reddy also took a swipe at the central government by quoting a 2013 statement by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, now the prime minister, targeting the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.
In October 2013, Modi had tweeted in a veiled jibe at the then Union finance minister P Chidambaram that read, "Today Rupee is in ICU. I do not know why Tamil people sent this person to Delhi."
Also read:Â Bombay HC grants bail to former Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh in corruption case filed by CBI
"The Indian rupee has been strong against every currency. The Reserve Bank has used foreign exchange reserves that it has to intervene in the market to make sure that the Dollar-Rupee fluctuation does not go too much," Sitharaman said.
On Monday, the rupee declined 35 paise to 82.63 against the US dollar in early trade as heavy selling pressure in domestic equities and a strong greenback in the overseas market weighed on investor sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened weak at 82.54 against the dollar, then lost further ground to quote at 82.63, registering a fall of 35 paise over its previous close.
