Let them eat cake

On the evening of November 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled an ambitious plan to bring about a new India, but there was one small glitch. The plan was that the money that Indians had would not even be worth the paper it was printed on. This was supposed to be a master plan to curb the black market.

More than a month later, we Indians are still divided over the issue. But now the issue is no longer whether demonetisation is going to make us the next superpower or not. It is about the insensitivity with which the government is dealing with the situation. There have been 44 deaths reported so far, but he has not even offered words of condolences to the affected families.

Even more insensitive are his cronies. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal reasoned that if people can stand in a queue to get alcohol, then they can stand to get money from an ATM. What about senior citizens standing in a queue to get money to buy rice and medicines? Is that the same as drunkards waiting for the next bottle? Calling demonetisation a great move in Indian politics, Virat Kohli joked that he was planning to sign 500 rupee notes and give them away since they are worthless now. Their comments draw parallels with the “let them eat cake” comment attributed to the French Queen Marie Antoinette. When it was reported to her that the French populace were starving and had no bread to eat, she supposedly said that. The rich and famous are often divorced from the harsh realities of the common man.

Despite the reservations we may have about the feasibility of this plan, we Indians stand united behind our Prime Minister. We understand that a country is only as strong as its leader. Hence we are willing to stand in a queue for 10 hours and still go back home empty-handed. Each Indian wants to see his country become great, but what we all also want is for our Prime Minister to be there for us when we are going through this rough patch.

- The reader is a student based in Ajman.