Former Australian cricketer copped a fair bit of online abuse for something he did not do. His fault was sharing the same name as Moody’s Investors Services.
The international rating agency upgraded India’s sovereign rating on Friday from Baa3 to Baa2. However some activists of India’s left parties mistook the former cricketer for the credit rating agency and accused him of favouring the Narendra Modi government of India.
Many purported activists of the Communist Party of India that is in power in the southern state of Kerala started abusing Tom Moody on Facebook, commenting on his October 4 post in which he thanked friends for birthday wishes.
Many commenting on the cricketer’s FB post accused him of upgrading India’s rating after taking a bribe from India’s prime minister Narendra Modi. While some dared Moody to visit Kerala.
A Facebook user called for Moody’s apology for issuing an improved credit rating for India.
Source: Facebook
"Your Modi will be voted out,” commented another. Another said that it would have been better to plant a banana sapling than give birth to Moody!
While some Facebook users did point out that Tom Moody had nothing to do with Moody’s, but angry comments kept pouring in.
Many people deleted their angry comments against the cricketer after reports appeared in the media about the controversy.
A CPI supporter, defending the party, said it was a “sanghi conspiracy” [conspiracy by a group linked to India’s ruling party, BJP]. He said the comments directed at Tom Moody were from fake accounts to defame communists.
Moody's upgraded India's local and foreign currency issuer after 13 years, giving a big boost to the morale of the market and the Government. The agency has also changed the outlook on India's ratings from positive to stable, citing improved growth prospects driven by economic and institutional reforms.
Tom Moody who currently coaches the Indian Premier League (IPL) team of Hyderabad Sunrisers thanked people for finally realising that it wasn't him who upgraded India's credit rating.
