IMPRESSION -MATTERS
Let there be no confusion. If the BJP were the Opposition today, it would have eaten the government for breakfast, lunch and dinner, leaving not even crumbs for others in the Opposition ranks. For the BJP knows how to whip up popular passions, line up its usually raucous constituency behind, to harass the government of the day for alleged or real acts of omission and commission.
Happily for it, the BJP is in power. And despite the fact that demonetisation has caused universal disruption and hardships, it seems to be getting away lightly. Full marks to the ruling party for virtually confining the anti-government noises to the sanitised parliamentary precincts. Outside, the entire country seems to be in a 24×7 scramble for new notes to really care for what scripted line Rahul Gandhi mumbles for the benefit of television cameras every other day, before hurriedly slipping back into his car. The truth is that while in power Congress is corrupt, out of it, inapt.
If the parliamentary logjam pushes back the GST time-table a bit, so be it. At least, Modi would have achieved whatever he set out to when he took the world for a huge surprise on the evening of 8 November. Whether the economy ought to bear the twin costs of demonetisation and a delayed GST is for the experts to mull over. As far as the ruling party is concerned, it is set to encash bigly the junked cash at the electoral till. A smart move, or a thoroughly cynical one, by the Modi-Shah jugalbandi only the time will tell. So far, there is only avoidable disruption and suffering.
But it is a reflection of the distrust and disunity in its ranks that in spite of the countrywide dislocation of economic activity, the ruling party seems to be succeeding in wrong-footing the entire Opposition. Opposition’s failure to strike a chord with the people is easily explained. With no leader of stature to take on the Prime Minister, and with mutually clashing ambitions, Modi will have a cakewalk in the foreseeable future. The clear divide between the coalition partners in Bihar, with Nitish Kumar in support and Lalu Yadav against demonetisation, spotlights the faultlines running through the Opposition ranks.
Mamata Banerjee’s legitimate ambition to widen her footprint outside West Bengal is openly spurned by the Marxists. They would not march under her. No. Never. Crude and cunning Arvind Kejriwal might seek respectability in the company of the West Bengal czarina, but it would not be long before their temper tantrums find them on a collision course.
Meanwhile, the government is sitting pretty. At the weekend, the ban on exchange of old notes for new had ensured “normalcy” outside banks and ATMs, particularly in the big metros. Tens of millions of new bank accounts were being opened or the dormant Aadhaar accounts activated. It was a win-win for Modi, whichever way you look it. Tens of thousands of crores in virtually empty Aadhaar accounts, particularly in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, too signal a success of demonetisation.
Where the Opposition seems to have got it entirely wrong is to have created the impression that it is against demonetisation. If the people ostensibly for whose sake it seems to have taken up cudgels against Modi are not lining up behind it—in fact, wholeheartedly they endorse the move—it is unlikely that its protests will yield any results. Even the daily changes announced by the RBI and/or the Finance Ministry have a rationale, given the lack of an SOP for demonetisation and the need to make changes in real time as per the developing experiences.
Finally, it is important to remember that for ordinary folks patriotism does not lie only in resisting the evil Pakistan. Patriotism, at least in the eyes of the aam aadmi, also lies in not stealing taxes, not looting the public purse, not taking bribes and, generally, not bending the law for personal gain. Because the common man believes that demonetisation has hit the rich in its solar plexus he is ready to put up with hardship. The poor are always patriotic. It is the rich who have the luxury to be financially disloyal to the nation.
Back in 1969, Indira Gandhi nationalised private banks to paint her Congress opponents capitalist-friendly, though gains from nationalisation were largely illusory. Modi’s demonetisation will certainly produce multi-faceted gains for the larger economy, and not unlike Indira’s nationalisation, will leave his opponents tainted. You oppose demonetisation in the popular mind in case you are in bed with the moneybags. Period.
SPHINX SCORES A SELF-GOAL
On Thursday, the Congress leadership made Manmohan Singh open his mouth, a rare feat for someone for whom silence has all along been second nature. And, immediately, the Mauni Baba attracted a sharp response. The ruling party picked on his uncharacteristically strong words about demonetisation being the “loot” and “plunder” of the poor to remind him of all the scams of his government not long ago.
In fact, a BJP leader pointed out that Singh’s role in creating the menace of black money was much greater. Not only had he been a ranking economic-bureaucrat for decades and, later, RBI Governor, but he was also Finance Minister and Prime Minister. What use were his academic degrees if he did nothing to staunch the generation and flow of black economy, asked a senior minister. Internet was harsher. Read one tweet: “MMS talking about organized loot and legalized plunder. Everyone is allowed to be nostalgic once in a while.” Yes, that is right.
A LAW UNTO ITSELF
It was the tenth V.M. Tarkunde lecture. Former bureaucrat and governor, Gopalkrishana Gandhi delivered it. But the gem of the evening came from the noted jurist Ashok Desai. Moving a vote of thanks, the senior Supreme Court lawyer put his finger on the nub of the on-going tension between the highest court and the executive. Said Desai, “The Indian Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the world. Why?”, he asked. And went on to answer his own question: “Because it alone decides what should be the limits to its powers.” Amen.