NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has justified frequent amendments and U-turns in the implementation of government’s demonetisation policy, saying one required to “stay a step ahead of the enemy”.
In an interview to India Today, Modi seemed to suggest that frequent changes in the implementation of the policy were deliberately done to corner those who were trying to defeat the purpose of demonetisation by circumventing it.
“Regarding the frequent modifications, one must be able to distinguish between niti (policy) and ran-niti (strategy) and not put them in the same basket. The decision of demonetisation, which reflects our niti, is unequivocally clear, unwavering and categorical. Our ran-niti, however, needed to be different, aptly summarised by the age-old saying of ‘Tu daal-daal, main paatpaat’.
To stay a step ahead of the enemy,” Modi said. Modi hit out at his detractors, saying the decision to demonetise “is so huge that even our best economists remain confused in their calculations. India’s 1.25 billion citizens, however, have welcomed it wholeheartedly and supported it even in the face of great personal difficulties, intuitively understanding its impact and importance.”
He said demonetisation was done not for some short-term windfall gain, but for “a long-term structural transformation”. Attacking the
Congress, the PM said he “pitied” its leadership for the “desperation” it had been exhibiting on this issue. “On the one hand, they say Itook this decision for political dividends, and on the other, they say the people have been troubled and are deeply unhappy. How can the two go together?” he said.
Modi was scathing in his attack on his predecessor,
Manmohan Singh, who had described the execution of demonetisation as ‘monumental mismanagement’ while speaking in
Parliament. “It is interesting that the words ‘monumental mismanagement’ come from a leader who has been at the helm of India’s economic journey for around 45 years – from being the chief economic advisor to the DEA secretary, RBI governor,
Planning Commission deputy chairman, finance minister and Prime Minister — all the while during which large sections of our society have continued to live in poverty and deprivation,” Modi said.
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has justified frequent amendments and U-turns in the implementation of government’s demonetisation policy, saying one required to “stay a step ahead of the enemy”.
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