Demonetization -When One Is At The Crossroad Of History , Speak Up .

One should not and cannot remain neutral when one is at a crossroad of history .The demonetization move by the PM is the single biggest and most revolutionary attempt to remove corruption .Those indulging in pessimism and casting aspersions on its success ,don’t even know what else is up his sleeve .Those marching to the Rastrapati Bhavan are doing something good – they are walking !! Its good for health .

I watched the debate in the Rajya Sabha yesterday for sometime .The opposition parties have clearly lost the plot .They are barking up the wrong tree by deputing journalists ( all beneficiaries of the “ancient regime”, ), and getting sound bites from the elite  - the “award wapasi brigade”.The collective picture that is being “manufactured”, is that India is on the verge of riots and economic anarchy .!!

That is far far away from the truth .The truth is that people are willing to wait and the queues are getting shorter .I have made sure that I try to get a feel of the mood of the crowd .I have been out on the streets and talked to them in detail. I was surprised as to how much of goodwill the move has generated for the PM .He has a huge task cut out for himself – will the results of this move ,translate into facts ? That’s the risk the PM has taken .And that’s a risk every game changer  takes .

Of course some parties who have a few seats in parliament and state assemblies – will be able to garner enough people to stand in a line so that their leader can come and get selfies with them !! .The vocal chords of the commies also need to get primed once in a while outside the campuses of  anti national universities   – becoz their brands’   catch line is “Empty vessels make the most noise”.!They are doing that .

Closer to the ground – the people have overwhelmingly accepted the great initiative .Of course it could have been implemented better ,but parties during whose tenure, the 5 year plans ,Nrega ,Clean Ganga project , Food for work ( people actually sold food instead of eating it ), Scams , subsidies ( they never reached the actual target group), ……..one can go on and on ( difficult to find a particular project that was successfully implemented ), cannot lecture as to what will happen in the future .Of course one understands their pessimism .But then they need to deal with it themselves rather than impose their negativity on a optimistic nation .No one expects them to cooperate

A word of caution though .I would have liked  the PM  not to make this as  a issue of the rich versus the poor. This should not be taken as a “class” war ( as distinct from a caste or communal issue). It is a extremely dangerous ground to tread on .I have seen many poor people becoming slightly haughty and spout disdain against the rich and middle classes .I think the attempt should be  to explain to the people what black money is ,why the steps are being taken , and not indulge in rhetoric that “ameer goli dhoondh rahe hai ,garib aaraam se so rahe hai”. There should be a difference between Che Guera  and Narendra Modi .A revolution has started from the top of the pyramid .It will filter down through sensible policies and not  through  conflict on the streets .Lets keep it that way .Good for everyone .