Gain or Pain? Political parties are taking note ban fight to the masses!!!
The Opposition, comprising 17 political parties with the Congress in the lead, will have a meeting at the end of the winter session to strategise a common theme for their protests across the country.
While the remainder of the winter session of Parliament is set for a washout, Opposition parties believe they have two weeks to build a nationwide narrative against Narendra Modi government’s ‘note ban’ decision.
The Opposition, comprising 17 political parties with the Congress in the lead, will have a meeting at the end of the winter session to strategise a common theme for their protests across the country until December 31. The protests and awareness campaigns against ‘note ban’ will focus on three issues — job losses in the informal sector, how ‘note ban’ is a “grand scam” to benefit select industrialists and allegations that BJP state units had advance information, which helped them convert their unaccounted money into ‘white’ money.
Here is a primer on how respective parties are taking the note ban fight to the masses:
Bharatiya Janata Party
The BJP understands how difficult it could be to counter the anti-note ban perception. BJP President Amit Shah has asked the cadre to fight, but this is likely to lack conviction since the cadre itself isn’t convinced about the benefits of note ban.
The BJP’s moment will come at the end of the demonetization exercise on December 31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce “gain” that he had promised after the “pain” at a public rally in Lucknow on January 2.
Modi might also make another address to the nation on the official broadcaster on the January 1, apart from talking about the issue in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio broadcast.
The details of the ‘sops’ are still being worked out. These could range from promising interest wavier on farmers’ crop loans and also Mudra Bank loans and unemployment dole to youths.
Until then, the party will continue to focus on how the Congress-led UPA rule was scam ridden, and that it lacks the moral authority to question a “scam free” Modi government.
It will also highlight how the UPA printed more currency notes than necessary during its 10-year rule from 2004 to 2014. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday that the share of high denomination notes increased from 36 per cent in 2004 to above 80 per cent in 2014.
The PM’s public rally in Kanpur on December 19 could indicate the Modi government and BJP’s plan to ‘correct’ the discourse.
Congress
The Congress party leadership plans to highlight the “pain” that people have faced because of ‘note ban’. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has taken to visiting areas that have suffered the most “pain”, particularly wholesale vegetable markets. He was in Dadri in western Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
Other top leaders, particularly senior leader P Chidambaram, will fan out across the country to address press conferences and reach out to people to tell them that the party wasn’t against the crackdown on black money but the note ban was ill-planned, poorly implemented and aimed at benefitting select industrialists. State units in Mumbai and Delhi have already launched ‘note pe charcha’ awareness campaigns.
The Congress, however, is handicapped by widespread perception that it ran a scam ridden government for 10 years at the Centre.
The 17 opposition parties are slated to hold a meeting at the end of the winter session to coordinate their anti-note ban strategies for the rest of the month. They understand that they have until the end of this month to build a nationwide narrative against note ban.
Trinamool Congress
The Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is trying to do what the Communist Party of India (Marxist) accomplished in 1996 and 2004 – to be the lynchpin for opposition unity.
However, it lacks the moral and intellectual authority of the then CPI (M) leadership of Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Jyoti Basu. It is compensating for that with an aggressive attack on the PM. In the days to come, the Trinamool would highlight how note ban has impacted the informal sector, particularly tea, jute and leather industries in Bengal, and also diamond cutting and jewelry industries in Gujarat, where many Bengali migrants work. Its block level units in Bengal have already launched anti-note ban protests.
Janata Dal (United)
Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) head Nitish Kumar has been restrained in his criticism of note ban, ceding space to Mamata Banerjee, who has even termed him a “traitor” to the cause. Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also wants a more aggressive criticism of Modi’s decision. His party’s senior most leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had joined Banerjee in launching an attack on ‘note ban’ at a public meeting in Patna.
But Kumar is waiting for Modi to announce his sops. According to sources, Kumar is aware that the Modi government would struggle to fulfill these. This is where he plans to join the anti-note ban discourse, possibly around early January.
Aam Aadmi Party
The AAP has had to recast its strategy. It had soon realized that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was losing support by replicating Mamata Banerjee’s aggression. While she mustered support against note ban by hitting the streets, Kejriwal got hooted. The AAP government has now taken a leaf out of Bihar CM’s cap to temper its criticism. It has been replaced by concrete action to provide succour to the note ban affected, like organizing free food kitchens. Kejriwal is also likely to wait until it becomes clear that the Modi government would be unable to harvest any significant yield from note ban.
Samajwadi Party
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly talked about a possible SP-Congress alliance for the assembly polls. It remains to be seen if it comes about, but Yadav has given enough indications that he is with the opposition on the ‘note ban’ issue and has spoken about the pain that people have suffered.
Rashtriya Lok Dal
Party chief Ajit Singh, who had until recently been trying to strike an alliance with the BJP, is now trying to foster an opposition unity. Singh plans a public rally on December 22, on the occasion of his father and former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh’s birth anniversary. The rally is in western UP’s Muzaffarnagar – the Jat heartland. The rally is likely to highlight the pain that farmers have suffered because of note ban. Singh has invited former PM HD Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party, Janata Dal (U)’s Sharad Yadav and even Mamata Banerjee. She has decided to depute a leader from her party to attend the rally.
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Left parties have been vociferous in their protests against note ban inside Parliament. Its chief Sitaram Yechury in the Rajya Sabha and Mohammed Salim in the Lok Sabha have made important interventions. The Left might not have such a strong voice in Parliament, but has strong trade unions in several sectors, particularly the banking sector. These would play an important role in shaping public opinion in the days and months to come. The role of the labour unions is also important in the light of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliated unions, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, upset with note ban.
Other smaller opposition parties are have supported the Congress-led opposition in Parliament, and will assess the public mood before joining any united opposition protests.
Source: Business Standard
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