Demonetization: ‘Jan shakti’ is above ‘Raj shakti’, says PM Modi

As demonetization overshadowed the Winter Session of Parliament, PM Narendra Modi devoted his third consecutive speech at the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting to the issue. On Wednesday morning, he castigated the Opposition holding it responsible for stalling debate and said it should have instead suggested ways to plug loopholes.

Modi asked his party MPs to create awareness about digital transactions, saying this would make it faster for the current situation to come under control.

Indicating that the decision was not taken keeping in mind electoral considerations, he said that policy-making was earlier election-oriented. However, he said schemes like giving up subsidy on LPG cylinders and demonetization showed that “Jan shakti (people’s power)” was supporting the government. “Jan shakti should be above Raj shakti (state power),” sources quoted him saying at the meeting.

He compared elections, which political parties fought on different agendas but shared common factors like voters list and motivating voters to booths,  with demonetization saying parties had not demanded a roll back. According to him, the ideal thing for the Opposition would have been to suggest ways and means for smooth implementation and plugging loopholes.  

Modi said that instead the Opposition was ‘unfortunately’ neither involved nor discussing the issue either inside or outside Parliament.  He said though he was present in Rajya Sabha, the Opposition was not ready for discussion.

Later, the BJP parliamentary party issued a resolution saying there was no “end to the competitive disruption” of Opposition parties and accused them, particularly Congress and TMC, of making “unsubstantiated allegations holding up proceedings of the House.”

Exuding confidence that there was support for demonetization, Modi reiterated that he had sought 50 days from people and reassured that things will change after that.