When two economists turned poets debating job creation under Narendra Modi govt

A day after reports suggested that the Donald Trump administration of the US was considering new regulations to prevent the extension of H-1B visas, two noted economists sparred over promised jobs under the Narendra Modi government.

Chairman of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Economic Advisory Committee Bibek Debroy and noted economist and columnist Sadanand Dhume played 'a rhyming game' of arguments on Twitter as they exchanged views on job creation in India and the proposed regulations in the US.

It all began with Bibek Debroy commenting on H1B visa policy review of the US. "If H-1B rules are given a tweak/Some futures may turn downright bleak/Waiting for the card to turn green/They will have to deport the scene/Without a paddle and up the creek," Debroy wrote on Twitter this morning.

The H1B visa rules are being reviewed by the US as part of President Donald Trump's "Buy American, Hire American" push. This move is likely to hit tech firms affecting lakhs of Indian professionals working in the US.

The proposed move of the US government may prevent hundreds of thousands of foreign workers from keeping their H-1B visas while their green card applications are pending. The proposal has been put forth by the Department of Homeland Security Department (DHS).

Responding to Bibek Debroy's post, Sadanand Dhume said, "Amidst the sobs/About looming H-1B probs/I have a query/That we should not bury/Why hasn't Modi sarkar created jobs?"

Dhume raised the question that many have been asking from the Modi government. As prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Narendra Modi had promised to create 2 crore jobs every year. However, Debroy termed the Dhume's inference of lack of job creation as his "deduction".

Debroy said, "That deduction/Is your construction/I thought you knew/That data are askew/But what can one do about your self-induction?" This was followed a series of poetic formations by the two economists.

"Let's not blame the data/On a rather pressing matter/Hard to make the case/That jobs have grown apace/As promised by dear neta," Dhume wrote prompting Debroy to reject his argument saying, "You are the one who made a case/Admit you lost some face/If you desert/What you did assert/You have tripped on your own shoelace."

Before Dhume and Debroy put an end to their engaging exchange on the micro-blogging site, the former said, "This is not about you or me/We're discussing the economy/But thanks for your time/Always fun to rhyme/Even if we don't agree."

Debroy agreed to call it a truce with these words: "Indeed not about you and me/But as analysts we should agree/When data are old/It is best not to be bold/And yes, enjoyed the wit and repartee."

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