Scam in Tirupathi (again)
☕ India’s Morning Briefing: Fri, December 12
Hello, and welcome to the brief.
Good morning.
Let’s dive in without wasting any time.
Welcome to the 181st edition of The India Brief
Do not miss the deep dive in the end.
TECH & ECONOMY
The Rupee’s Freefall: Breaching 90
Level: Rupee hits historic low of 90.46 against the Dollar.
Cause: Foreign outflows (FPIs) and fears of US trade tariffs.
Reaction: RBI intervened, but dollar strength overwhelmed efforts.
Trend: FPIs pulled out ₹11,820 crore in just one week.
The Wit: The Rupee is dropping faster than my motivation on a Monday. At 90, we might need a parachute instead of a policy.
The Chessboard: The psychological barrier is broken. The market is pricing in the “Trump Trade”—higher US tariffs and a stronger dollar. For India, this means imported inflation is coming, complicating the RBI’s ability to cut rates despite domestic growth needs.
The Tirupati Scam: Polyester for Silk
Scam: ₹54 crore fraud exposed in TTD offerings.
Method: Replacing silk dupattas with cheap polyester; laddu box fraud.
Span: Allegedly running since 2015; strict checks launched now.
Shock: Devotee sentiments hurt by corruption in prasadam.
The Wit: Stealing from the gods takes a special kind of confidence. Selling polyester to deity is the ultimate “fast fashion” sin.
The Bottom Line: The breach of trust at the world’s richest temple is damaging. It exposes deep rot in the administrative machinery of religious institutions. Expect a clamour for external audits and perhaps a shift in how temple boards are governed.
The Modi-Trump Call: Warmth Amidst Tariffs
Tone: “Very warm and engaging” conversation reported.
Topics: Trade, defense, and the India-US COMPACT deal.
Context: Comes days after Trump’s “America First” investment warning.
Goal: Sustaining strategic momentum despite economic friction.
The Wit: A “warm” call with Trump usually means he didn’t hang up. Diplomatic speak for “we agreed to disagree on tariffs but kept the military deals.”
The Chessboard: India is maneuvering to separate geopolitics from trade. By focusing on the COMPACT deal and defense, Modi is offering Trump “wins” on security cooperation to offset the friction that is inevitable on the tariff front.
Umar Khalid: Interim Bail Granted
Relief: Granted 7-day interim bail (Dec 16-29).
Reason: To attend his sister’s wedding.
Conditions: Strict surveillance; purely humanitarian grounds.
Context: Remains incarcerated under UAPA in Delhi riots case.
The Wit: A week of freedom after years in jail—the wedding guests will probably stare at him more than the bride.
The Lens: This is a procedural relief, not a substantive one. The courts are balancing humanitarian needs with draconian UAPA provisions. It sets a precedent that even under strict terror laws, social obligations can be grounds for temporary liberty.
Kerala Local Polls: High Turnout
Event: Phase 2 of Local Body Elections.
Data: 57.75% turnout recorded by 2 PM.
Turnaround: 76.08% voter turnaround
Stakes: Barometer for LDF govt ahead of Assembly polls.
Scope: Polling across 7 districts.
The Wit: Kerala takes voting as seriously as literacy. 57% by lunch is a turnout most countries don’t see in a lifetime.
The Lens: High engagement at the grassroots level usually signals anti-incumbency or intense cadre mobilization. For the LDF, this is a stress test of their ground game. The results will dictate coalition strategies for the state finals next year.
Cricket Shock: South Africa Thrashes India
Result: South Africa (213/4) beat India (162) by 51 runs.
Villain: Arshdeep Singh bowls 13-ball over with 7 wides.
Hero: Quinton de Kock smashes 90 off 46 balls.
Series: Levelled at 1-1; India’s batting collapsed early.
The Wit: Arshdeep bowled so many wides he effectively bowled a second over for free. Gambhir’s face in the dugout looked like he was watching a horror movie.
The Bottom Line: A reality check after the first win. The discipline in bowling was non-existent, and the top-order collapse exposed reliance on individual brilliance. In T20s, one bad over (literally) shifts momentum, and India gave away too much, too fast. But, remember, it’s just a game where wins and losses are a part and parcel of it. We should always be proud of our boys and girls!
WORLD WATCH
Nobel Peace Prize: The Empty Chair
Laureate: Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado.
Absence: Could not attend due to hiding from Maduro regime.
Proxy: Daughter Ana Corina accepted the award in Oslo.
Message: “Freedom is not something we wait for.”
The Wit: A peace prize where the winner can’t show up because there is no peace. Irony just died a thousand deaths in Oslo.
The Bottom Line: The empty chair screams louder than any speech. It highlights the impotence of global diplomacy against entrenched dictatorships. The award delegitimizes Maduro further, but without enforcement, moral victories don’t open prison doors.
US Fed Cuts Rates: Easy Money Returns
Cut: Fed lowers rates by 25 bps to 3.50-3.75%.
Count: Third rate cut of the year.
Goal: Supporting growth as inflation stabilizes.
Impact: Boosts global liquidity and emerging markets.
The Wit: The Fed is handing out rate cuts like Halloween candy. Your savings account is crying, but your stock portfolio is partying.
The Signal: The pivot is complete. The Fed is now prioritizing growth over inflation fears. This weakens the dollar slightly and encourages risk-taking, which is why markets like India are seeing a sudden flush of green despite local headwinds.
Bulgaria: Government Collapses
Event: PM Rosen Zhelyazkov resigns.
Cause: Massive protests over economic policies.
State: Chronic instability; multiple elections in recent years.
Risk: Leaves a NATO flank vulnerable in Eastern Europe.
The Wit: Bulgaria changes governments more often than I change bedsheets. Stability is just a rumor there at this point.
The Signal: The governance vacuum in the Balkans is dangerous. It stalls Eurozone integration and opens space for Russian influence operations. The inability to form a stable coalition reflects a deep fracture between the political elite and the populace.
THE DEEP DIVE
The Kerala Exception – A Masterclass in Democracy
While the rest of India treats voting like a dentist appointment—necessary but dreaded—Kerala treats it like a festival. Yesterday, the state recorded a staggering 76.08% turnout in the second phase of its local body elections. This isn’t an anomaly; it’s a habit. Contrast this with the “urban apathy” plaguing metros like Mumbai or Bengaluru, where turnout struggles to cross 50%, or the national average of ~66% in the last Lok Sabha polls.
What is Kerala doing right? It’s not just about high literacy; it’s about high stakes. Unlike most Indian states where local bodies are glorified supplicants begging the state capital for funds, Kerala’s local governments are powerful. Born from the 1996 “People’s Plan Campaign,” they control significant chunks of the state budget. When a Kerala voter presses the button, they aren’t just picking a symbol; they are deciding who manages their local health center, school, and waste management. The link between the ballot and the pothole is direct and visible.
The Secret Sauce Then there is the cadre machinery. In Kerala, politics is a contact sport played door-to-door. The CPI(M) and Congress don’t rely on Twitter bots; they rely on neighbors who will literally drag you to the booth if you try to sleep in.
The Lesson for India The rest of the country suffers from a “powerless mayor” syndrome. If Delhi or Mumbai want Kerala-level turnout, they need Kerala-level decentralization. Voters remain apathetic because they know their local corporator often lacks the power to change anything. Give local bodies the purse strings, and the voters will follow. Until then, the rest of India is just voting for noise, while Kerala votes for power.
Sign-Off Question of the Day: If you could buy citizenship to any country for $1 million, where would you go, and why is it not Antarctica?