‘Modi Used Demonetisation To Turn State Polls Into A Referendum’
PM embraced government’s record on demonetisation, say Shankkar Aiyar & Sanjay Pugalia.
Success for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, and those held in other states, will validate the recent economic agenda driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, say two political experts that BloombergQuint spoke to.
“With demonetisation, the Prime Minister converted these state elections into a referendum on his record. It is clear that he wants the outcome of the polls to carry his name,” says Sanjay Pugalia, editorial director at Quintillion Media - the parent company of BloombergQuint, and a veteran commentator on politics in India.
BloombergQuint columnist Shankkar Aiyar agrees with that view. “The principle point to be recognised is if Prime Minister Modi is able to make the population digest something like demonetisation which while good in intent was terrible on execution. He has carried it through, and instead of suffering because of it, he has gained political capital from it.”