The joke going in Karnataka is “What can you do when you have power; Modi went for demonetisation while Siddaramaiah organised Tipu Jayanti.” The demonetisation has clearly changed the dynamics in Karnataka. People are standing in long queues to exchange, deposit or withdraw money. Yet, despite standing in those long queues under hot sun, most of them say that still they feel that their suffering is a sacrifice for the overall good of this country. “I could see people cribbing in front of banks. I told them why they should crib when our PM has taken a bold step which no other contemporary politician would dare to do. When there is a cleansing of system, there are bound to be hurdles and we need to take these hurdles positively,” said MK Kiran, a techie.
Rajappa, a hawker said, “I was really pissed off on day one as my business was hit. However, the next day, I realised that I may be hit for a day but the black money makers are hit all their lives. No Prime Minister would have ever dared to take such a step in recent times. I heartily thank Modi for this.”
Naveen Kumar, a techie said, “Counterfeiting of new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes would be very difficult as they have at least 7-8 additional security features which are very tough to replicate. It would take years for anyone to counterfeit the new notes being circulated”.
Avi Keswani, director of Lisaa School of Design said, “We gave away roses to the bank employees as they have been relentlessly working for the last 15 days without taking a break. Many frustrated people are showing their ire on bank employees but they are resilient and working for our country. So, it is our duty to keep up their morale by offering them roses and chocolates. “Meanwhile, Hasiru Mission, a voluntary group helped diasabled senior citizens in the long queue of banks. The team built a group of volunteers to help pregnant women, senior citizens, physically challenged, in all the banks of Malleswaram, Vijayanagar and Mahalakshmi layout. —Guruprasad R
