On authors third trip to the Indian subcontinent this year, the author visited West Bengal, Orrisa and Maharastra on a pilgrimage tour with his mother. Since demonitization is in the news, he thought to gather general public feedback on PM Modi’s projects and had casual conversations with some common people he met in India.
His first discussion was with a maid in Pune. When asked on what’s your viewpoint on Modi’s Govt., did his policies helped her. Without a secound thought, she endorsed Modi’s Govt. She said ” Saheb..now my old widow mother gets monthly pension, hospitals in my village are more accomodating and we have electricity in Jhoppad Patti (Village shanties)” , said Vimla whose family lives in Sangli. “Modi Govt. changli Aahe, hum garibo ka toh aacha kiya” (Modi Govt. is good, he did good for poor people like us).
In West Bengal, I came across a tourist guide who was taking us to Gangasagar, when asked on how difficult was for you to get new currency notes, he replied ” Sir, problem was there for few weeks and I was upset initially, but I also know that my state has biggest hoarders and cheaters of black money, this pain is nothing” , he added ” Sir, I have seen my driver friend becoming a crorepati ( millionear) in just two years when he worked for hawala transactions for a middleman belonging to ruling party, he is so rude, proudy and insults me often, black money made his soul black too”. He said corruption has decimated Bengal economy to a brink of poverty.
Orrisa experience was no diffrent, the cab driver when asked about demonitization drive thanked PM Modi for bring this reform. He said ” Sir, there is no impact to lower middle class and middle class, those hoarding black money are crying, we are happy. I saw one of my relative who is a customs officer and made crores in corruption, nowdays his whole family is very tence and are not reachable to anyone, not even his mother, but our family is happy as we dont have black money” , he added that now Modi should crack down on Benami properties and bring strict legal punishment for corrupt people.
Finally in the holy Hindu temple of Lingaraj (Lord Shiva) in Bhuvaneshwar, the author asked a devotee from Uttar Pradesh standing in the queue on who may form the next Govt. in UP. He said this with a smiling and confident face ” Ji.. BJP has 95% chance, Next CM could be from BJP”
From accounts of persons belonging to the hardworking lower middle class and financially stuggling individuals, it can be well said that Indian PM demonitization aiming to curb corruption and black money is widely appreciated by poor, lower middle class segment which constitute 85% -90% of the Indian population. There is a strong and swift undercurrent in support of PM Modi in India, making him the most popular leader in indeoendent India’s history.
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Source: World HIndu News (WHN)