Modi tells sceptics in BJP to stand by govt

Amid reports of a severe cash crunch at many places in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told doubting Thomases within the BJP to stand by the government to ride out of the crisis.

Modi met several BJP functionaries in the past few days to underline that he was aware of the difficulties faced by the people as several hundreds of ATMs have gone dry. The government, he maintained, is working overtime to sort out issues even as it pushes for digital transactions.

The prime minister’s bid to assuage party leaders has come following news about cash shortage hitting the morale of BJP cadres in poll-bound states like Uttar Pradesh, where the euphoria in some places is giving away to fears of a political setback.

In his interactions with Union ministers and BJP leaders, Modi is said to have conceded that there were several gaps in the implementation of the decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. But he believed that “this was not the time to waste energy on what had not been done so far,  but to focus on removing the bottlenecks”.

Modi said that they (party leaders) should trust the sincerity and commitment to fix the problems and not get disheartened or entertain doubts about his ability to resolve the crisis, BJP officials said.

Modi asked BJP president Amit Shah to frequently interact with MPs and other leaders to obtain a honest feedback on the ground situation, but some MPs have said they are not too sure if the top brass is willing to hear some hard truth.

They see the Opposition waiting for the opportune moment to pin down the government in case the situation at ATMs deteriorates further, and there are no visible signs of easing the cash flow.

Meanwhile, Union ministers have reacted strongly to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who accused the government of partiality in dispensing cash in minority-dominated areas. At a rally in Hyderabad, Owaisi said the Muslim community is being unnecessarily troubled by the government due to the demonetisation drive.