People who flocked to the Parade Ground to listen to the Prime Minister in their thousands on Tuesday-his first since he became the Prime Minister-sounded enthused by the nearly hour-long speech having a mix of sarcasm and aggression. They said that the PM was at his energetic best while he was taking a swipe at the Harish Rawat government, smashing it into pieces, using up to the hilt by his rare oratorical skill. The people in attendance roared in frenzied applause whenever he said he would continue to take the black money hoarders head-on, irrespective of consequences. His stress on working tirelessly for the welfare of the poor also evoked noisy applause.
The ground reverberated with ‘Modi Modi’ cry with the people coming from across the state giving full-throated support behind his crusade against black economy. The same was true when PM spoke of his dream of improving infrastructure like road connectivity across the hill state. Anish Semwal, 25, resident of Rishikesh, sounded euphoric while asked about how he felt during the PM’s speech. “This is the first time I listened to him. Frankly speaking, I came out of curiosity. I was electrified by what he said,” he said. “True, we are suffering the consequences of the money scrapping move. Some are angry too. But I am invincibly convinced that it was unavoidable in view of the parallel economy gnawing at the economic system of the country. I am all the more enthused by the prospect of a part of the black money being recovered now getting into the bank accounts of the poor,” he added.
Ashish, resident of Premnagar, said that his inhibition regarding the note ban had vanished into the thin air after he listened to the PM, stoutly defending the daring move. “I along with others keep on bearing the brunt of things, jostling for our turn at the bans and the ATMs daily. However, Modiji’s speech has helped me rid of the reservations. We as responsible citizens of the great country must lend our full weight behind the PM in his courageous crusade against the black money,” he said.
Rahul Rawat from Karanpur said prior to listening to the speech, he had been in the dark about the string of welfare projects the Centre had initiated for the benefit of the down-trodden section of the people. “Now, I am enlightened about the projects related to electrification, distribution of lPG cylinders and the like. I am elated to realize that the Prime Minister is leaving no stone unturned to better the living of the poor like me,” he said.