: Hailing it as a “surgical strike” on black money, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that through his “historical” decision to demonetise Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dealt a big blow to terrorism.
The home minister claimed that Mr. Modi has “taken away the strength” of terrorists and Pakistan, which he alleged had supplied fake currency notes to foster terrorism in India. “Fake currency was being printed in Pakistan and was then sent to India to destroy its economy. Such were Pakistan’s attempts...In India, fake currency was helping terrorists...it gives big strength to terrorists and Pakistan. By scrapping Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes, Narendra Modiji has taken away that strength,” Mr. Singh said.
The Trump connectionAddressing a ‘Parivartan Rally’ in Ballia on the eastern fringes of U.P., the minister also spoke about the U.S. presidential results, linking president-elect Donald Trump to Mr. Modi. “How did Mr.Trump fight his election? Mr. Trump said that if he became president of the U.S., he would follow and work according to Narendra Modi’s policies. That Trump has won in America, brothers and sisters,” Mr. Singh said, adding that after the Modi government came to power at the Centre, India had increased its global standing and become the fastest growing economy in the world. To introduce Mr. Trump to the eastern U.P. crowd, Mr. Singh had to resort to some familiarising: “On one side was Ms. Clinton and the other, Mr. Trump, the trump card...not the trump card in the game of cards...Mr. Trump.”
At the rally attended by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and ministers, including Kalraj Mishra, Manoj Singh, Om Mathur, and Yogi Adityanath, the party made efforts to justify Mr. Modi’s decision to demonetise currency in the wake of the disruption of normal life and services.
‘Temporary inconvenience’Mr. Singh said the decision had paved the way for making India a “global economic superpower”, even as he appealed to the people to bear the temporary inconvenience due to the shift in currency as it would push India towards becoming a global economic superpower.
“I am sure it must be causing inconvenience to some people for some time. But I want to assure you on the basis of what I know of economics, the step may cause inconvenience for a short period to some people but nobody can stop India from becoming the most powerful global economic force...it is such an important step,” Mr. Singh said in a speech in Hindi laced with the regional Bhojpuri. BJP State president Keshav Prasad Maurya termed it “bitter medicine” necessary to remove the “illness” of corruption “from its roots”.
Evoking surgical strikesThe former U.P. chief minister also raked up the surgical strikes by the army, saying it had sent a strong message nationally and internationally. “We can kill here and even there [across the Line of Control], if needed. We have shown it,” he said. The minister also asked the crowd to raise their hands in the air to laud the army’s efforts, even as he recalled the role of Ballia, one of U.P.’s most backward districts, in the Independence movement.
He also promised to abolish interviews while recruiting police personnel, saying this would end corruption in the process. Urging voters to elect a BJP government in UP, Mr. Singh said that under his party’s rule, no goon would be allowed to walk free in the State. While the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) has maintained a studied silence on the demonetisation issue so far, the BJP is out to project that it will hamper the BSP’s prospects in the 2017 elections. “Will Mayawati get sleep after it? Will corrupt officials get sleep?” Mr. Maurya asked.
