No 'demon' in demonetisation; Prime Minister Narendra Modi passes note ban test with flying colours

Rewind a few months back and you will remember the long queues and complete chaos at ATMs and banks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to demonetise old Rs 500 and Rs 1000  notes. Opposition leaders gathered outside the parliament to protest what was called a 'dictatorial decision' of the government that had caused unimaginable pain and hardship to the people of the country. Indian seemed headed to a state of anarchy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and the Reserve Bank of India repeatedly changed policies related to the exchange of old notes adding to the confusion among the people. Economists, meanwhile, remained divided with some praising the prime minister for taking a bold decision to fight corruption, while others calling it nothing less than a foolish decision.

The ATMs would not dispense the new Rs 2000 notes as the recalibration took more time than the government or the RBI had anticipated. Increasingly, it seemed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shot himself on the foot right before the biggest political challenge ahead of him after winning the General Elections in 2014. But all's well that ends well!

The BJP's incredible wins today in UP and other states have reconfirmed that Narendra Modi remains the tallest leader in India while the rest of the political parties do 'soul searching', cry foul and revisit their poll strategy. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and master strategician Amit Shah, the saffron party has cemented its place in the Hindi-heartland making it impossibly difficult for Congress or any other political party to gain any significant momentum ahead of the 2019 General Assembly elections.

In the entire turn of events, the missing impact of demonetisation on the BJP's performance is likely to embolden the Prime Minister to take tougher measures in the future. Last month, Arun Jaitley's budget had offered no real 'dhamaka' apart from the Rs 12,500  tax relief that came in the form of increase in tax slabs for the common man. Now, there will be more expectations from the Prime Minister and BJP voters - atleast  in Uttar Pradesh - to deliver in terms of infrastructure and take more steps that offer economic relief. With the fears of demonetisation backlash over, be ready for a Prime Minister who stands vindicated and ready for total dominance.