The chat room: Why aren't politicians standing in queues too?'

Rooting out corruption and black money are noble battles, but demonetisation has hit the middle classes hardest. Amar Singh, Jude Fernandez and Manjul, three Bengalureans, join Joyeeta Chakravorty for this week’s Chatroom, to discuss whether or not the war against black money is worth the hardship it has caused.

Fifty-nine-year-old Jude Fernandes is waiting for his cab over a cup of tea to take him to the nearest ICICI Bank. "It is news like this that dismays me the most. I have arthritis and I have to wait in a long queue for my turn to withdraw money.
And, then there is news like this," says Jude. On Thursday, the Income Tax department in a search-and-raid operation at the homes of two government officials and two contractors in the city seized Rs 6 crore in unaccounted cash, including Rs 4.7 crore worth of the new Rs 2,000 notes. The combined value of the seized wealth has been put at Rs 30 crore. "If they were not fake notes, then how did they get them? There has to be an inside hand and the government and bank officials must be involved," reasons Jude. "Have you ever seen a politician stand in a queue or an industrialist or a big businessman? No!" he adds with disgust.

The fact that two of those raided head two major state-run corporations only adds to suspicion about the “new money”  making it into the hands of the powerful while the common man struggles to get his hands on it.

"It is no news, the money was always there, but why did this raid not happen earlier. We are not shocked, but only surprised that it took so much time. But sadly, it is the public at large that will suffer and pay the price," says Amar Singh, another exasperated Bengalurean.

"The bank officer and the cashier involved in this should be arrested. But I feel this news will just pass and be forgotten considering the corrupt politics that we have going on in this state," interrupts Jude. "Modi has come out with a good policy and I support it, but he should be a bit more professional in implementing it. There is no fault in the vision, but the implementation is faulty. In 70 years he is the only Prime Minister, who has brought in demonetisation. We need to give him credit for that. But if only it was a little planned and professional, then the common man and the poor  would not have to suffer," he sums up.

Twenty-six-year-old Manjul pipes in to say,  "I have to pay my flat rent but all the banks that I have gone to are saying there’s no cash. It is frustrating that these corrupt people are shamelessly taking it all!"