The influx of pro and anti Modi posts – comments, jokes, satires, graphs, videos – on WhatsApp is huge these days. I take a habitual precaution of reading them carefully before forwarding it. In case I find them in bad taste, vulgar, personal and derogatory, I quickly delete them. Whether you like Mr. Modi or not, he is the prime minister of the country and the dignity of the office he holds cannot be subject to below the belt criticism. I am a legislator myself and feel I need to set an example for my followers and admirers. And I hope those pro Modi and his demonetisation policy also follow this norm and do not take a healthy debate to a guttural level.

Sadly it is not happening since Prime Minister Modi himself has eroded the authority of parliament by refusing to appear before it and reply. This could have put many doubts to rest. The matter is further complicated by consistently changing government’s stance, methods, rules, notifications and unrealistic tall claims by its senior officials including RBI governor. Head of the federal bank and man in charge of the country’s monitory policy taking more than two weeks to make a statement is a mockery and deserves to be questioned, demanded someone on social media. I am in full agreement with this gentleman.

What took better of my curiosity is one post questioning the amendment in the Income Tax (IT) law. The writer justifiably argued that the government imposing a financial emergency on the country and terrorising the already hassled common man should display the same alacrity in toughening the laws against retrieving of black money, the way it has given yet another escape route to black money holders by amending IT act yesterday in Lok Sabha amid chaos. The even sadder part is that in all this the government and our Prime Minister has chosen to ignore and are completely disinterested in looking at the wide spread distress and suffering particularly that the daily wage earners are going through. The plight of the migrant labourers is also another serious aspect, completely neglected and ignored.

Such cherry picking by Modi is further dividing the populace. The yawning gap between haves and haves not is further widening. Middle class and lower middle class still applauding Modi and are putting up with a whole range of inconveniences because they are under the notion that “culprits of black money holders” are suffering, which is a human nature. Modi has successfully managed to sell a blatant lie to them. Yesterday’s order to deposit massive funds collected by banks to RBI has sent shockwaves among banking circles and blown the myth that with so much liquidity banks will bring down lending interest rates. None other than Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairman of SBI – and someone who was in the race for RBI governor’s post – has expressed her utter displeasure in no uncertain words. Other bankers will follow suit. Modi is not only playing with peoples’ money, but with emotions too.

Just before closing let me share an interesting news I read in today’s newspaper. Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s health department performs approximately 1400 vasectomy operations per month under its family planning program. In the month of November this figure stands at paltry 169. Reason…. BMC is short of cash of Rs 1400/- that it is offers to men as an incentive that undergoes vasectomy. According to Dr. Deepa Keskar who heads this program, issuing cheques to these people is not possible. They come from such a weak economic background that 99% of them do not have bank accounts. Health department employees are standing in bank queues daily for three to four hours, she said.

At the end we can only say that those who are suffering don’t even know the actual meaning of the term BLACK MONEY

– Dr. Jitendra Awhad