“Bharat’s economic story is bigger than its critics admit”, Firstpost, 25 Sep 2026.

“Anyone reading Indian newspaper op-eds would agree with former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan that India’s economy is in crisis.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who takes Rajan seriously, calls India’s economy “dead”. Op-ed writers advise with touching concern that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at 76, is showing his age and must step aside. They fail to notice that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is a sprightly 84.

Online sites and YouTube “influencers” with millions of followers target Modi 24/7 with abuse, mocking memes and AI-generated videos. They then complain that India lacks freedom of speech.

“Godi media” is accused of Modi sycophancy – and in this case, the critics are right. On his 76th birthday on September 17, the call to light divas on every street was cringeworthy.

But lambasting the prime minister – which is perfectly normal in a diverse argumentative democracy like India, Britain or the United States – is different from lambasting India with doctored facts………”

Read the full article at Firstpost.