Are cracks beginning to appear in
the bold face the Prime Minister and his fawning admirers put on after his
“historic” economic reform? After making light of, and ridiculing, criticism in
the media, from a range of economic experts, the Judiciary and the Opposition, Narendra
Modi has finally accepted that the public “has something to say” — a
fundamental of a democratic system.

Yet rather than lend    weight to the views expressed by the
entities named earlier, he has  opted for
an “App” actuated service — which means seeking a response from a select
audience, even if in absolute terms the numbers appear considerable.

To put it bluntly: how many of the
several thousands who continue to brave queues at banks/ATMs are linked with
the NM App, it might be more pertinent to ask how many of them have
smart-phones, the favourite plaything of the well-heeled of the day? In
declining to give credence to more established means of gauging the public mood
— the recent limited number of by-elections have thrown up “status quo”
results — the Prime Minister has reinforced the image of catering only to the
interests of the “upper crust”.

For the survey system he has
preferred excludes much of the worst-hit by the cash-calamity — the vegetable
vendor, the daily labourer, the cycle rickshaw-wallah, the auto-driver, etc.

No doubt Indian diplomats serving
abroad will have access to electronic communications, yet that they also moan
the cash shortage is telling. For it suggests that they too are dabbling in the
black money transactions that were alleged to have been the staple-diet of the
citizens who are narrating personal horror stories as they wait hours in queues
— for their own money.

Not hard-earned money if the
finance minister and Mr Modi’s several other trumpet-blowers contend. Still,
the fact that feedback is being sought from the public points to the Prime
Minister coming around to accepting that what was inflicted upon the people was
more than “temporary inconvenience”.

Further pointers to Modi
dismounting his customary high-horse and “listening” to the common folk can be
found in the queries posed in the App-survey. It is something of a joke that
people are asked if they are aware of black money and its ill-effects, for have
not party/government spokesmen been waxing eloquent over the public solidly
endorsing the “surgical strike” against the shadow economy?

Equally uninspiring is Mr Modi
asking for “suggestions, ideas or insights” when experts who have already
offered them have been slammed as “anti-national”.

Some of the other queries
should  chasten the Prime Minister’s
supporters for their low-blow “counter-punching”. If only Modi could dispel the
impression that his survey was intended to replicate the “magic-mirror” of the
fairy-tale.

–Editorial