Hira Ba, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 96-year-old mother exchanged Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 demonetised currency notes at a bank on Tuesday in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar.
like any other common person, Hira Ba waited for her turn and when her turn came she walked into the bank and exchange old currency notes worth Rs 4,500. After coming out of the bank she posed for photographers with the newly-introduced Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes.
Though, she never asked anyone to give her way, but looking to her age those who were queuing up to exchange their old currency notes made way for Hira Ba.
Interestingly some of them did not know that she was the mother of PM Modi. They only came to know when she stepped out of the Oriental Bank of Commerce’s Raisan branch and reporters and photographers approached her.
A bank employee said that Hira Ba was given a new Rs 2,000 note, five bills of Rs 100 and two bundles of Rs 10 each containing 100 notes. He said that Hira Ba came inside the branch like any other customer and the staff never felt that she was the mother of India’s Prime Minister as she and her other relatives didn’t demand any VIP treatment. Narendra Modi’s younger brother Pankaj who works with the State Information department accompanied Hira Ba.
When asked by reporters on demonetisation of two highest denomination currency notes, Hira Ba replied with a smile in Gujarati, “Mane Bahu Anand thai chhe (I am very happy).”