The political opposition to demonetisation — evident in what one sees in Parliament, and outside it — leaves much to be desired (“Modi’s presence in Rajya Sabha fails to break the ice”, Dec.2). Our Members of Parliament seem to forget that they are there to highlight the problems faced in their constituencies and find redress for them. Instead, they raise issues that have no relevance to any parliamentary discussion, an example being the delay in the landing of a flight on which the Chief Minister of West Bengal was a passenger (“Turbulence over Mamata flight delay”, Dec.2).
How can there be any objection to the steps being taken by the government to wipe out the black economy? In view of the enormity of the problem, there will be some temporary inconvenience to the common man.
S. Chidambaresa Iyer, Chennai
If the circulation of counterfeit notes is said to be rampant, it speaks poorly of the vigilance agencies. If the new notes reach antisocial and terrorist groups, say after a year or two, will the government roll out demonetisation once again? When much of India is outside the Internet age, why talk of the cashless mode now?
R. Ranganathan, Ahmedabad
I have been following Indian politics for about a decade and can say that this is the first time I have seen a Prime Minister who has had the courage to take hard but imperative decisions. Obviously he knew that the execution of demonetisation could end up badly and dent his image, but he wanted to keep this exercise a secret, to maximise its efficiency. I have not suffered its effects, so it is wrong for me to make comments. I am supremely confident that the country is radically improving for the first time in so many years and hope that the momentum is not lost.
Mihir Bhagat, Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Demonetisation is being heralded as a direct fight against black money; in fact even the U.S. said that it is a necessary step (Dec.2). But the Central government must keep in mind the adage “history repeats itself” if the recovery of nearly Rs.4 crore in new currency notes from government officials and Rs.2,000 notes from insurgents is an indication. Such elements will go to any extent to recover what they have lost due to demonetisation. To tackle this, the government should strengthen institutions such as the anti-corruption bureau while IT officials should institute a strong grievance redressal mechanism, appointing Lokayuktas in all States. There should also be greater awareness of RTI.
Abhijit Kurhade, Nagpur
