The surgical strike on demonetisation of Indian currency Rs 500 and Rs 1000 has been hailed by many calling it masterstroke by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to weed out black money and corruption. Overnight all those who had stocked crores in their hidden underground dumps became paupers realising their piled up currency notes are now worth nothing, not even good to lit the fire. While many sweated and fainted with shock as the day Nov. 9 went by, they were the common people who had slept peacefully through the night to wake up the next day to find work to earn a living.
Long queues outside the banks was an unusual sight here in Goa. With exchange limit and withdrawal restriction, Goans became panicky scrambling to take preference to have their demand met. With only one counter for exchange and withdrawal in almost all banks, the situation became tense causing inconvenience to the public. This goes to show that a system was not put in place to make the exercise public friendly. People were heard grumbling and cursing the government in power. Very interestingly someone made a keen observation and bloated amusingly: No politician or the affluent class personalities are seen in the queue.
After all for whom is this surgical strike? Many say it is only a farce to do away corruption in the country. All those who are in the game will shake hands and walk away having the last laugh. Deviating from the previous limits for exchange and withdrawal, the same has been now raised much to everyone’s surprise.
Modi has begged to give him 50 days saying: I will give you India you desired, he said during his recent visit to Goa for Mopa foundation stone laying. Rightly so, after 2014 elections he had also said: Ache din ane wale hai. (better days are to come). But right now in the present scenario the common man is the one who struggles for his daily living, the markets are down and the better days have now turned 50 days promise “India you desired” dream. Is this a mockery or gimmick of the masterstroke of demonetisation?, intelligent Goans question.
