The BJP will use the Modi Government’s crackdown on black money as a major issue in the forthcoming Assembly polls in five States and “generate interest even if there is none”.
Expressing confidence on its electoral standing in Uttar Pradesh, the party sought to dismiss Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), one of the challengers in the Uttar Pradesh polls, as “a spent force”.
There could be “more policy surprises” in the run up to the 2019 lok Sabha polls, sources in the BJP hinted referring to “the strong leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which they claimed got perceptibly changed into “pro-poor” and “anti-rich” with the recent measures against unaccounted money.
One of the top leaders of the party said that those depositing less than Rs2.50 lakh will not be questioned at bank counters but any amount above it would come for very close scrutiny at the Government level. Khal udhed di jayegi (we will deal ruthlessly), he said during an informal interactions with scribes.
Talking about demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes, he said it is a battle of those who pay taxes and those who don’t and those depositing “big amount” will invite 200 per cent penalty and an enquiry too. The party asked common people not to panic and not to sell their currency “in discount” as there is enough time to exchange it in banks.
“The common man will not be impacted at all with the demonetising exercise. Our fight against black money and corruption will continue. More measures will be taken. We are committed to curbing black money,” he said.
The party’s core constituency of small traders may have been hit but it believes that the move to declare Rs1,000 and Rs500 currency notes invalid has boosted its stock ahead of crucial state polls, including in UP, and it will capitalise on it. “The measure is taken in the interest of the country” and part of party’s agenda to change the “scale of development” in the country, said the BJP leader.
“looking at Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP president) and BSP chief Mayawati in their Press conferences, it seems that things are positive for us,” he said. Taking a dig, he said the war chest of both the regional parties for the UP polls is likely to be hit hard with the demonetisation move.
Dismissing BSP and its leader Mayawati as BJP’s main challenger, the party leader said it was not the same party that used to be when its founder Kanshi Ram was at the helm of affairs. “It is now a corruption machine and no more a movement”, he said adding that the BSP was not in the electoral fight at all. “BSP doorbin se bhi nahin dikhayee de rahin hain,” he added.
Another senior party leader said Modi’s image has received a boost with his demonetisation move and compared its “secrecy” with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s measures during Pokhran Nuclear blast in 1988. “Its electoral impact would be positive,” he claimed.