Can anyone be more brazen than Modi? Farcical claims on rooting out black money

If there is one thing other politicians should learn from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his band of Sanghis it is to BRAZEN it out. Facts staring in the face be damned. If not everyone surely some would be credulous enough to say: “See the Prime Minister is saying, how can the Prime Minister lie?” And that would work, what with a powerful propaganda machinery working 24X7 to falsify facts. Just today there was a terror attack in Kashmir and that too at a time when due to severe snowfall and bitter cold it is virtually impossible to traverse uncharted paths. But the terrorists from across the border came, targeted our security establishment, announced they were LeT militants, killed three of our men and vanished into thin air. Can anyone tell how many such attacks have taken place last one year or after “surgical strikes” and more specially after the surgical strike on the poor of India through Modi’s dictatorial Firman of demonetization. Fact is contrary to Modi’s claim, demonetization has not deterred the terrorists.

And where is that fake currency? Modi made us all stand in queues like criminals to search our pockets for fake currency? Its time he told the Nation how much fake currency  has been caught in these two  months and more.

As for black money, Modi keeps harping upon, almost all the demonetized currency worth Rs 14 lakh crore is back in the banks leaving just Rs 75000 crore outside. That includes the Indian currency in Nepal and Bhutan which the Indian Government is committed to exchange under mutual international treaty because these countries allow the use of Indian currency on their soil. Never mind the poor living in remote areas who had no access to any bank or ATM, had no Aadhar card like the young woman from Mehrauli who had to resort to stripping because the RBI refused to replace her 500 rupee note because she had no Aadhar card. Well, there is a huge population of homeless people right here in the national capital who have no roof over their heads and therefore no address and consequently no Aadhar card. But these poor people count for nothing to Modi or his loudspeakers galore including His Excellency, India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitely. The two-day national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended last week commending Modi for the remarkable move on demonetization but had not a word on the poor who died standing in queues outside banks and ATMs all through these chilly winter nights. Nor did they bother to turn their attention to the sudden spurt in suicide deaths of farmers. How can there be any concern for the thousands of casual daily wagers, and even regular workers in factories and workshops when the Prime Minister of the country stands before international audience and says, “All those opposing are worshippers of black money!” Then by Modi’s inference all the poor people who had to abandon their jobs in Delhi and other urban centres and trudge back to their villages post demonetization because of loss of employment are “worshippers of black money.” They have had to turn to MNREGA for their survivals whose demand grew three fold from 38.52 lakhs on November 7 to 83.60 lakhs on January 7, according to official figures.

He won’t admit that those who really had black money were given the easy way out to turn their unaccounted cash into white by declaring and taking away 50 per cent. Not a bad bargain for black money hoarders because in the market too they were getting only 60 per cent and yet it would remain unaccounted. Here the Government offered the big fish with thousands of crores black money to disclose and take away 50 percent with no questions asked about the source. Man what better deal could these hoarders get? Modi should be made to explain who is the worshipper of black money? He who cut a deal with the thieves or he who protested loss of employment, trade, commerce and farming. The Government is now showcasing the fact that its direct tax went up by 14 per cent thanks to the disclosures made of unaccounted wealth post demonetization. Can there be anything more disgraceful for any government, more specifically Modi’s who came riding the white steed to banish “corruption and black money” and keeps swishing his sword till this day claiming he has already done it. There is not a word of compassion for crores of people in this country, the daily wager, the small trader and his petty employee, for they all work only on cash even today, 65 days after demonetization for there is no other alternative for them. Yet he proudly proclaims himself the protector of the poor. Sadly there is no voice loud enough to shout him down.

In Modi’s parlance the All India Manufacturers’ Organisation (AIMO) too are “worshippers of black money” because it has stated in its report that micro and small scale industries have suffered 35 per cent job losses and 50 per cent dip their finances in the first 34 days of demonetization. But its future projections are even more scary for it projects a 60 percent drop in employment and 55 percent drop in revenue earning for this crucial sector.

What Modi and his factotum Amit Shah should be forced to tell the Nation is, “Who has gained from this demonetization move? Not even the media world with major national dailies facing severe crunch and enacting large scale retrenchments. Actually it serves the hacks well. They are the ones who cried ‘Modi, Modi loudest. But Modi himself has blurted it out, by the way. The sole gainers are the credit card companies Visa, Master card, Rupay and the latest Albaba’s Paytm. Are these companies charitable institutions giving us these cards for free and going bust? No sir. They are minting money like crazy in hundreds of crores every day since Modi has forced us to go cashless.

For those who believe Modi is clean. We will discuss how Sahara shri is walking free shrugging his shoulders let out of Tihar jail on the specious plea of the last rites of his already dead mother made close to a year back and our great Supreme Court easily took the bait. Nobody dare ask when will Subrat Roy’s parole come to an end and why should they? He is no Sanjay Dutt or Salman Khan?

by Faraz Ahmad