Demonetisation - A year later. BJP positioning itself as a ‘clean’ party

While the Opposition is gearing up for ‘Black Day’, the BJP is getting set too for its ‘Anti-Black Money Day’. The aim is to polarise public opinion on who is “for black money and who, against”.

Besides the move to brand the Opposition as a supporter of black money and corruption, the ruling party plans to showcase a range of achievements — from curbing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and naxalism elsewhere to targeting human trafficking and flesh trade, besides curbing black money and converting India’s economy from informal to formal.

Prominent party leaders will travel the country and “educate” people about the steps taken to tackle graft.

“This would be a priority for the government and the party,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said, while announcing the event on October 25.

From then on, various ministers and top BJP leaders have attacked the Opposition, especially the Congress, whom they accused of “never taking a single step” to curb the parallel economy.

The BJP is aiming to drive home the point that the note-ban was part of a series of policy measures to curb graft, and that the November 8 anniversary is an assertion of the party’s intent to eliminate corruption.

From Day One in power, the BJP has taken measures to curb graft, say party leaders. This includes setting up an SIT to probe into black money as per a Supreme Court directive, reworking double-taxation agreements with different countries, and initiating steps to enact the black money law. Demonetisation was yet another move in the series, they say.

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