This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

RSS-Affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh Slams Modi Govt Over Demonetisation, Loss Of Jobs

They say they are worried about farmers getting affected.
While the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh also said more jobs were lost in Modi's tenure than created.
AFP/Getty Images
While the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh also said more jobs were lost in Modi's tenure than created.

Even as the government has vehemently defended the demonetisation move in the face of criticism, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's labour arm, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), has slammed the Narendra Modi government saying more jobs had been lost than created since the government came to power.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Baij Nath Rai said, "Under the new government, 1 lakh and 35 thousand job opportunities have been created so far but 20 lakh people have lost their jobs."

Rai also criticised demonetisation saying, "We have reports of job losses in the unorganised sector because of demonetisation, but how deep the impact is has to be ascertained. Similarly, there are fears about a contraction of the GDP, but we have to wait and watch."

Rai said that more bank branches and accounts should have been opened and more new currency notes should have been printed before demonetisation was announced. He also said that the government's push for a cashless economy won't be an easy feat. "It's not possible to turn India cashless because our society is predominantly cash-dependent," Rai told The Telegraph.

The criticism of demonetisation has not been restricted only to the BMS, other RSS-affiliated organisations have also criticised the move. While the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) welcomed the move, they said that it had cause much pain to the poor.

Mohini Mohan Mishra, senior executive committee member of BKS, told The Economic Times, "Yes, calibration of the move could have been better than this especially the ATM situation. That is a difficulty for farmers especially as it is sowing time across the country — both in North India and South India. The farmer cannot just now leave the sowing to queue up for money and when he does make time for it, he finds banks and ATMs have run out of cash. Banks should have been better prepared, there should be provision for food and water outside banks for people queuing up. Also better security is needed. This is a good work and farmers will probably be able to manage with limited cash for another 15 days or so but the ATM issue is a problem. We are hoping that the farmer will ultimately benefit from the government following the black money mop up and the government earmarks greater relief for farmers ."

Meanwhile, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) also welcomed the move, but wanted the government to reduce the inconvenience faced by people.

The Economic Times quoted Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor of the SJM , as saying, "We had welcomed the announcement by the PM. In our national executive, we have tried to impress upon the government that it must be ensured that in the future black money should not be allowed to flourish. Yes, there are problems being faced by people especially in the rural areas and interiors and we have conveyed to the government that this must be addressed."

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.