Roland Francis: Marshall, the roof hasn't fallen down on India since Modi became Prime Minister, as you might have thought would happen.
Response: Roland, I am beginning to get convinced that you are green behind the ears on matters relating to politicians and political affairs. Your latest post is a prime example of this. You appear far removed from reality and situations on the ground. Though the roof may not have fallen since Modi took over,( and I never said or thought that it would) the credit for this should go to the founders and framers of the Indian Constitution and the early governments who laid a sound foundation with checks and balances, rather than to Modi. To show you how much you are out of touch with reality, I will illustrate upon a few points. 1. Black money / Liquidity: Contrary to your information, though banks are flush with cash deposits, there are no borrowers. As a result, deposit rates have fallen, hurting the people once again. Moreover, due to demonetisation,many medium and small scale units suffered tremendously, as a result of which there are many more bad loans. Thus landing a double whammy to banks. 2. Real estate: Though real estate prices have remained more or less stable since the demonetisation due to lack of demand, there is no change whatsoever in the way of dealing. Transactions have certainly fallen but there is no change in rates. Builders are simply biding their time till enough currency is available in the market. There is no fear of Modi. They only collaborate. Do not rely on PR. 3. Persecution complex: While I do admit that sometimes there is an element of persecution complex, to pretend that there is none is to live in la la land. It appears that living in foreign lands where comfort, safety and security is assured, one loses one's bearings about the situation back home. Muslims face persecution daily. I am witness to this. Dalits and adivasis too face violence daily whether one calls this persecution or not. I am witness to this too. While Christians in large towns and cities are fairly insulated, those who live in rural and remote areas face violence and persecution all the time.These have been well documented. Please read the USCIRF Report. Parsis and Jews being too miniscule and well off have never had trouble now or before. Therefore the comparison with them is odious. 4. Modi as world leader: A leader is a person who takes all his people along. A good leader does not discriminate. The BJP does not have a single muslim MP in the Lok Sabha. The BJP has not given a single candidate from the muslim community a ticket for fighting elections for the assembly in UP. I do not know from where you derived that world leaders respect Modi. Observing protocol is not synonymous with according respect. Had he been respected, India would not have had to struggle to get admission in various global forums. Do not get misled by PR and Event Management. They are no substitute for hard core diplomacy and hard work. 5. Reforms: Modi has no clue on governance. He has not initiated a single reform. All that he has done is repackage UPA policies and market it as his own. Whether it be MNREGA, Aadhar, Smart City, Digital India, Swatch Bharat, etc. The only action of his own ie. demonetisation has thrown a growing economy into disarray. He has stifled institutions like the SC, CBI, Lok Ayukta, CIC. Appointed third rate people to head Universities, FTII, NID,IIT's, IIM's, hounded independent journalists, thrown out opposition governments through extra-constitutional means, etc. I can go on and on. And as Raghuram Rajan aptly said, "in the land of the blind, the one eyed is King". That sums up your impression that 'Modi is a shining star'. Regards, Marshall Ps: In case you desire I can provide you with weblinks of newsarticles, reports, etc to support my views. .