As the Modi government came under opposition fire over the demonetisation exercise, its two important allies--Shiv Sena and Akali Dal-- spoke in conflicting voices, with its leaders endorsing the measure at a meeting of NDA parties, but voicing reservations over the manner it was being implemented outside.
The Shiv Sena, the largest NDA constituent after BJP, came down heavily on the Prime Minister in an article published in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' though Shiromani Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was temperate in pointing out the hurdles in the way towards removing black money from the system.
Notwithstanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emotional appeal to people to cooperate with him to weed out illegal money, Shiv Sena described the demonetisation as "demonic and unsystematic" which has led to "financial anarchy" in the country.
"125 crore Indians are standing in queues in scorching heat without food and water. Do you expect them to back you in future? Are you repaying people for the blessings they gave you by forcing them to come on streets? This is blatant cheating with them," an editorial in 'Saamana' said.
"The spectacle of weeding out black money is monstrous," it said, adding "instead of striking at Pakistan, PM Modi has struck and wounded Indian citizens and mocked their nationalism by saluting them for bearing with the anarchy."
"Black money is not held by ordinary citizens who are standing in queues but a handful of people who have parked their money in foreign banks before the demonetisation announcement. What action has been taken against them?" it said.
Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal, while supporting the demonetisation drive voiced doubt that it will help squeeze out black money from the system in 50 days, and highlighted the hurdles it faced.
"I don't think it is possible. First of all, banking system is not available in each and every corner of the country. In Punjab, yes, after every 5-6 villages there will be a bank. Look at states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha...Maybe there would not be a bank for 100 villages.
"So, for them we have to be practical enough. First of all, we need to raise the limit (of withdrawal). The weekly or monthly expenditure of a person is more than Rs 4000....We have to do it in steps," he told CNN News 18.
Badal said for a poor person, a senior citizen or somebody in immediate need of medicine, it was not possible to stand in long, unending queues.
"Maybe for them, there can be a separate system. For example, we have a very strong cooperative bank system in our state. Every village has a cooperative bank. So, I think, they should include cooperative banks also in the system (for dispensing alternative currency notes)," he said.
Notwithstanding reservations voiced in the article in Saamana and Sukhbir Badal, Shiv Sena's leader in the Lok Sabha Anandrao Adsul and SAD's S S Dhindsa endorsed the Modi government's demonetisation exercise at the NDA meeting.
All NDA partners welcomed the move "in one voice" and supported the decision of the government and the Prime Minister to weed out corruption, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said after the meeting.
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