Modi Fails To Keep His Own Promise As Cash-Starved Citizens Take To Streets 

By Srinivas Roopi

With the exchange of notes coming to a close on Thursday midnight, the woes of common man who is already frustrated by the demonetization, have further escalated. With no ATMs workings even after 16 long days in a country which almost totally runs on a cash-based economy, people are roaring in disgust and raring to take to streets. As Supreme Court has warned: "The panic could lead to riots on streets."

Instead of giving more relief to people after so much resentment, protest and warnings from various quarters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determinedly going tougher with his dictatorial decision of demonetization. Abruptly stopping all exchange of old notes with other currency at banks and post offices is one such instance of Modi's unpredictability: In his historic speech of demonetization on television on November 8, Prime Minister himself assured that the exchange limit will be Rs4,000 from November 10 to 24 but it will be increased from November 25 till December 30.

Can a Prime Minister just make any rule that has impact on common man's day-to-day life so abruptly? Can a Prime Minister, the 'supreme authority' over the 127 crore people's lives in the world's largest democracy change any of his rule any time? Isn't Modi the only qualified 'leader' on this planet to coach North Korean President Kim Jong-un? Kim at least executes people jokingly.

The people on the street, even those who did not vote him, were so elated when Narendra Modi got elected to Prime Minister's post; because no one in the Independent Indian history became a Prime Minister from such a humble background. His election created hope in all the 90 percent of the population with most ordinary family and economic background that they too can achieve something in life. If not a revolutionary change in their lives overnight, people expected no policies or decisions that would add up to their already long list of problems from the 'Chaiwala' Prime Minister, because he was well aware of the life around - below, much below or above - the poverty line.

Isn't this Prime Minister aware of the kind of problems people face in a situation like the present one? You have to buy things and move around, manage relationships, health issues, family and so many damn things on a day-to-day basis and most of these things need just CASH... nothing else. That's how this society has been structured.

If you, as a Prime Minister, who has no business to mess up with private lives of citizens, and more importantly who is not QUALIFIED to reform people's lives as he lacks knowledge or experience in common man's human obligations in a traditionally family-oriented society, still want to change the social system, if it's really a better system, the Indians are meek enough to follow you, but give them some time.

The economy already entered a destruction mode. Analysts in investment banks are coming up with darker projections. The mess gets bigger, and projections darker by the day. In fact, the fall in annual GDP could be much more than what is projected by the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He put the fall at 2 percent, but Ambit Capital predicts that GDP growth in Q3 and Q4 will slow to just 0.5 percent, and may even turn negative. That would drag down GDP growth in the whole financial year to 3.5 percent, less than half the previous year's 7.5 percent.

Is Modi not looking at these figures? Is Modi blinding himself to street fights erupting among the frustrated people in front of the almost defunct banks and ATMs? The very people who believed that the demonetization was a god send for them as it instantly removed the class distinction on November 8 are utterly disgusted with the way the scheme is being implemented. If the demonetization was really aimed at improving the lives of common man, it's high time the Prime Minister proved it... urgently, before things go out of control. Instead of laughing at common man's woes without cash in hand, try to comfort him and solve his today's problem.

How can this be considered a surgical strike against black money or terrorism if people all along the way are being killed?