'Demonetisation was Modi govt's failed national improvement scheme'

The new India being forged through the pain of demonetisation makes a clear distinction between the 'us' and the 'other'

The year 2016 was one of surgical strikes. Just when we were recovering from the patriotic adrenaline rush of being in a state of semi-battle with Pakistan, we witnessed ‘a surgical strike ‘on black money, terror funding and drug money’. Two years on, we continue to reel under the effects of demonetisation. With the benefit of hindsight, this is a good time to ask: what on earth was it about?

Demonetisation as neoliberal yet participatory development

An obvious reading aligns with the Narendra Modi government’s agenda of neo-liberal development. The current regime, like its predecessor UPA, has embraced globalised, business-friendly development. Here,