One astonishing achievement of his that Prime Minister Narendra Modi so desperately wants to obliterate, going against his natural instinct of turning even minor issues into wondrous feats, has been kept alive by the Congress. That’s demonetisation, which was not feted by the RSS-BJP ecosystem even on its birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Neither the Prime Minister took credit for his decision that shocked the country, nor the BJP made a song and dance about it. However, the Congress celebrated its anniversary, presenting the decision as ruinous and stupid. It is not that the Prime Minister doesn’t have the habit of delving into the past. Even on Wednesday, he battered the three-decade-old Digvijaya Singh regime that according to him pushed Madhya Pradesh into darkness.

Modi in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district on Wednesday. PTI picture

Modi, who habitually singles out Jawaharlal Nehru for attack, recalled at a public rally in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday what former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said decades ago about how 85 paisa out of every rupee disappears because of corruption. But Modi has completely forgotten what he did in 2016, repeatedly telling the nation to punish him if the decision proved to be wrong.

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday described demonetisation as “a decision that broke the back of the Indian economy and epitomised the unique combination of hubris, inhumanity and economic illiteracy that is the hallmark of the Modi government”.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too mounted a lethal attack, saying: “Demonetisation was the biggest assault on India’s Economy and Livelihood! Indians are still nursing the wound of this mindless giant attack! 50 days is what Modi ji wanted… But seven years down the line, people of India badly battered and bruised on that fateful night of November 16 are still searching for answers while Modi is busy hobnobbing with his rich friends.”

Rahul Gandhi, a fierce critic of notebandi, said: “It was a well-planned conspiracy to destroy jobs, to whittle down workers’ incomes, to finish off small businesses, to smash the informal sector and farmers to help his capitalist friends. This was an attack on 99% Indians to help 1% Modi’s friends. This was a weapon to pick your pocket and fill the coffers of the dearest friend to ensure he jumps from 609the position in the global ranking of richest men to the second spot.”

Commenting on demonetisation, Ramesh said: “The travesty repeated again with the unplanned, sudden lockdown on 24th March, 2020 which led to lakhs of migrant workers walking hundreds and thousands of kilometres back home. Who can forget the Prime Minister mocking people’s suffering, laughing and saying ‘ghar mein shadi hai, paisa nahi hai’? Who can forget the hundreds of poor and middle-class people who died waiting in long lines to convert their notes, even as the wealthy managed to exchange their banknotes with ease?”

Arguing that demonetisation led to a record concentration of wealth and power, particularly among a handful of large monopolies that have sustained the BJP financially even as the people continue to grapple with joblessness and price rise caused by the same monopolisation, Ramesh said: “An International Monetary Fund report from August 2018 said there was a ‘severe and long-lasting’ impact on growth, with a ‘disproportionate impact on the informal sector’. A study from Brown University found that demonetisation led to a large drop in consumption, forcing poorer households to go into debt.”

He added: “The MSME sector, which depends on the cash economy and provides the majority of employment in India, was devastated. The All India Manufacturers Association reported 60% job losses and 50% revenue losses for small firms, while large firms faced only 2% job and 3% revenue losses. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) reported that 15 lakhs jobs were decimated from January to April, 2017 — a likely result of demonetisation.”

Arguing that the informal workers were hit the hardest, Ramesh said: “An SBI report found 55% of construction workers and 71% of roadside shops had lost half their business. A survey in Ranchi found a 40% drop in employment for labourers, while a Delhi survey found a 60% drop in income.” He also said none of the stated objectives were achieved.

NO SYMBOL, SAME SPIRIT

The first effects of losing its national party status is being felt by the CPI in Chhattisgarh. Its candidates had to fight on free symbols due to a delay in filing of application by the party’s national secretatiat.

The first phase of polls in the state on Tuesday covered Bastar where the party has historically had a strong presence.

Despite losing its national tag earlier this year, the CPI can use its ‘‘ears of corn and sickle’’ symbol in other states. Pheroze L Vincent

“I am very sad with not getting our symbol as many of our voters are illiterate. But win or lose, we will keep mobilising people here,” a CPI leader said in Narayanpur where party candidate Phulsingh Kachlam fought on the electric torch symbol.

Despite losing its national tag earlier this year, the CPI can use its ‘‘ears of corn and sickle’’ symbol in other states.

For this, the party’s central office needs to seek the Election Commission’s permission within three days of the poll notification.

The CPI failed to do this in time for the first phase of the polls where the party contested seven of the 20 seats. The second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh will take place on November 17.