Ever since the Modi government had announced the demonetisation of high denomination currency notes citizens have been cooperating despite facing hardships to replace old notes. Yes. You may say its compulsion and the need to have money for one’s livelihood that they are facing inconveniences. However, as per survey over 82 per cent have welcomed the move and people have been extending all support and cooperation. They have been assisting each other – unlike politicians who have never come out to help citizens.
Opportunist politicians like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee and now Congress too have been staging protests, if not indulging in violence. It’s sad that even National Conference has joined them knowing well about the repercussions of fake currency, terror financing, money used to engineer violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, what did CPI (M) do during their three decade rule in West Bengal? Could the CPI (M) and now TMC stop fake currency circulation in Malda? Today all those leaders and politicians who were and are deeply involved in scams stand exposed hence they are protesting.
This winter session we have been only been witnessing repeated adjournments and no business but only hooliganism by the opposition MPs. Several important bills on maternity benefits, insurance, education and GST are stuck in the parliament. If these crucial bills are passed, people of the nation will derive benefit out of them. These MPs and so-called “representatives of the people” talk of inconvenience, hardship etc. but only keep disrupting the session. This shows their “real concern” for the “welfare of the people. Don’t they think that they should go forward and ensure passage of the important bills for the sake of the people they “seem to care for”?
For as many years, we had witnessed as many scams in which several ministers were involved and many were even lodged in jails –albeit only for a couple of months and only to be granted bail later. These leaders have since not only been roaming scot free but have been leading a lavish lifestyle. Since these leaders have been disqualified from contesting elections; but they have passed the leadership baton to their children.
Several VVIP leaders had amassed wealth and properties but who is accountable to recover the money from them? I understand that in a democratic set up like ours, there is no provision in law to recover the money from them. Laws must be passed for confiscating all their properties in the event of crimes being detected and confirmed.
Tracking small investors and honest tax payers is not enough or rather improper. The government must nab scamsters and recover all the ill-gotten-wealth they had amassed. It is time to abolish the income tax and also reduce indirect taxes. The nation cannot just afford to lose or “write-off” lumpsum amount of money that were swindled through scams.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
