Free market champions Forbes and the Wall Street Journal are only the latest voices joining the chorus that has opposed the Government’s policy of demonetisation. From fighting corruption and black money, to preventing terrorism and now ensuring a move to a cashless economy, the government has tried it all to prove why the policy has done good.
But with the December 30 deadline for things to return normal – set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself – almost here, how can the failure be justified? Here’s a clip (video above) from the iconic British comdey series Yes Minister that could lead the way for the current dispensation when they need to defend their policy.
(A clip fromYes Prime Minister has already explained the PM’s survey on demonetisation accurately.)
A bureaucrat has to defend wasting thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a roof garden. “How do you suggest we find out what’s going on?” he is asked by the committee.
His response: “I do see that there is a real dilemma here in that while it has been government policy to regard policy as a responsibility of ministers and administration as a responsibility of officials, the question of administrative policy can cause confusion between the policy of administration and the administration of policy especially when the responsibility of the administration of policy conflicts or overlaps with responsibility of the administration of the policy.”
“So that’s a load of meaningless drivel...isn’t it?”
“It’s not for me to comment on government policy.”
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