MP by-polls: Cong harps on note ban woes, BJP on SIMI operatives’ killings
The ruling party leaders in Madhya Pradesh don’t tire of praising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘surgical strike’ at black money but this strike is what makes them jittery too. Demonetisation and its consequent effect on public life are the major issues in the by-polls for Shahdol Lok Sabha and Nepanagar assembly constituencies.
The ruling party leaders in Madhya Pradesh don’t tire of praising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘surgical strike’ at black money but this strike is what makes them jittery too. Demonetisation and its consequent effect on public life are the major issues in the by-polls for Shahdol Lok Sabha and Nepanagar assembly constituencies. The polling is slated for November 19 and result on 22.
For the Congress the issue regarding people facing financial crisis, thanks to demonetisation couldn’t have come at a better time. The BJP was trying to draw a political mileage from killing of all 8 alleged SIMI men during an alleged encounter with police in Bhopal on October 31 when demonetisation hit people hard.
The SIMI men allegedly escaped from Bhopal Central Jail in the wee hours on Monday and they were gunned down within 8 hours of their escape. Though several questions were raised against authenticity of the encounter given loopholes in the police story.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, his ministerial colleagues and other BJP leaders engaged in election campaign made all possible efforts to send out an effective message filled with patriotic fervour to the electorate that after the surgical strike against terrorists across LoC by Modi government it was another surgical strike by the state government against terrorists in the state.
Congress is only eager to fish in the troubled waters
But given the chaotic atmosphere in both the constituencies with people scrambling for withdrawing money either from banks or ATMs or both post Modi government decision, the Congress is only eager to fish in the troubled waters.
Currency note crisis has hit everyone including people in Shahdol & Nepanagar
Currency note crisis has affected everyone in the state including people in Shahdol and Nepanagar. People are forced to run from one ATM to another and one bank to another to get money for their survival. Business has come to a halt. Labourers are not getting payment. The vegetable and other vendors are returning home empty handed with people having no cash to buy vegetables and other items.
A senior journalist of Shahdol Ajay Jaiswal said the BJP tried to persuade the voters by painting a rosy picture of development in the constituency done during the BJP regime in the state but suddenly Congress got the currency notes issue and it was now trying to turn the table on the ruling party.
Manoj Yadav from Burhanpur said black money and demonetization were really big issues in the election now. But remained to be seen how BJP and Congress both were able to draw political mileage from the situation in their favour in Nepanagar.
However, sensing the trouble chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured the electorate in both the constituencies during the campaign that their every old money of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 would be exchanged with new ones and that he took responsibility for the same.
He praised Modi for his decision and said the attack on black money would lead to prosperity of farmers and others.
The by-polls for the two constituencies along with some other constituencies in the country can prove an acid test for the ruling party. Inference may be drawn from the results for people’s mandate on the government scheme of demonetisation