This is what Rahul Gandhi tweeted on the first anniversary of demonetization.
"एक आँसू भी हुकूमत के लिए ख़तरा है
तुमने देखा नहीं आँखों का समुंदर होना" pic.twitter.com/r9NuCkmO6t— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 8, 2017
The picture Rahul Gandhi tweeted was taken from a Hindustan Times article. According to the report, the man was apparently crying for missing his spot in the long queue at State Bank of India’s New Colony branch, in Gurgaon, on December 13, 2016. Since then, this image has become ubiquitous to the left-liberal media bashing the centered around demonetization.
It seems like the media won’t allow him to leave the screen space any time soon as even after two years on the completion of demonetization, Nand Lal’s photo is being used in the latest article written by Rajdeep Sardesai. Sardesai writes, “Whatever spin the government may now give, there is no escaping the original self-proclaimed agenda behind the sudden withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 rupee notes from the system. Two years later, there is growing evidence to indicate that ‘note-bandi’ is no longer seen as an electoral asset on the campaign trail.” Furthermore, he says that, “PM should accept demonetization was wrong”.
The event related to the photo dates back to two years ago when retired army jawan, 79 year old Nand Lal was snapped by a photographer.
What was next for Nand Lal, he couldn’t have anticipated. As he became the poster-boy of demonetization, his images started to be used everywhere. Every media house either published it or ran stories of demonetization using his image.
The image was used widely simply to tarnish the image of Bhartiya Janata Party and to show how their indecisive action has made people go through the misery for which Rajdeep Sardesai says, “a decision that was central to the government’s anti-corruption political rhetoric is slowly being consigned to the edges of collective memory, almost as if there is little left to celebrate any longer.”
On the first anniversary of demonetization, ANI interviewed the man who had become the face of the drive. Upon being asked whether demonetization helped, Nand Lal replied, “I say, demonetization did help. It helped control the violence unleashed by terrorists.”
Later on, during an interaction with the Republic TV, Nand Lal again praised the demonetization drive and lauded the Modi government for taking such bold step.
Despite the repeated assertions of faith by Nand Lal in the drive and his vehement support to PM Modi, the Congress party and its ecosystem continues to present him as the ‘martyr’ of the drive. This not only shows the lack of arguments with which they can counter the drive but also their utter disconnect with the people of India.
