Asked to comment on Wednesday on Narendra Modi Government’s momentous move aimed at eliminating black money through scrapping 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes, Chief Minister Harish Rawat smiled and then said that the move had left the people panicky. “Things have been effected in a tearing hurry. They should have come in a phased manner according to a fixed time frame,” he said. He at the same time did not forget to take a sarcastic dig at BJP, saying, “The people must be alert so that the BJP brass from Delhi does not bring truckload of 2000 rupee currency notes to lure the electorate.”
However, the observers say that the CM and other leaders of the ruling party are a worried lot principally on two counts. First, the move having struck a favourable chord in the public mind across the state just a few months ahead of the election has left them nervy, wondering how they would combat the collective emotions unleashed by the move with the common people gloating over the predicament of the hoarders of black money. Secondly, the wrinkles of worry are deepening on the brows of the ruling party brass as they are worried over how they would use the funds accumulated for months to meet the expenses of electioneering.
It is a common practice that the parties, especially the ruling party, and the candidates across the party lines squander away a large sum of money to lure voters in one way or the other. Now, a forced rupture from the long-continuing tradition is what is staring them at the face with the 500 and 1000 currency notes having been withdrawn from the markets overnight.
looking elated, the state BJP chief spokesperson Munna Singh Chouhan, who himself is likely to contest from Vikasnagar constituency, said that PM’s move was a multi-pronged surgical strike aimed to end the dominance of black money and counterfeit currencies used to fund terrorism and narcotic supplying rackets.
Asked for reaction to the senior Congress leaders like the Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and cabinet minister Indira Hridayesh having slammed the Centre, saying that it had left the people panicky, Chouhan said the people were on the contrary fully ready to face the short-lived inconveniences in the larger interest of the nation. “ As far as the charge that things were hurried through is concerned, there was no other option left. Had the Centre chosen to effect things in a phased manner those having stashed astronomical amounts of money to be pumped into electioneering would have got enough time to remove the money to safer places. This is the reason why the Centre chose to strike, catching them unaware,” he said.
Observers say that the move on the part of the Narendra Modi Government has spawned a true level playing field for the contestants. “Money power that the parties are inclined to flaunt to outsmart the rivals would no longer be there during the electioneering this time. Any public-spirited person longing to serve the state and the country can step in to challenge the contestants of the principal parties, a welcome development by all means as it would give the electorate enough options to choose from,” an observer said.