Just to set the stage: India is highly polarized on this issue. A lot of discussions around govt policies right now end up in heated debates. Loosely speaking,

Just to set the stage: India is highly polarized on this issue. A lot of discussions around govt policies right now end up in heated debates. Loosely speaking, liberals aren't very much in favour of the right-wing govt in power and often criticize every major policy announcement, not always based on merit. The majority of working-class people in India are going through a phase of love and adulation for the ruling party and the Prime Minister, so any public opinion on social media against the establishment is met with intense opposition. The news media aren't helping decipher the actual state of reality. Much like the US elections, Indian media fuels the polarized population with provocative news stories, and "alt-media" outlets publish opinions and fake news as facts. Many accuse major media houses of unfairly favouring the right-wing govt (much like Fox News in the US) due to connections of the govt with business houses that run them. The demonetization move comes at a time when political parties are gearing up for elections in major states. From extravagant political rallies to feasts, a lot of aspects are funded by cash. Politicians have a history of hoarding cash for elections and "buying" votes from the poor. The demonetization issue was also promoted as a way to deal with a fake-currency printing industry allegedly being run in arch-rival Pakistan. This bodes well with the "Nationalism Wave" promoted in recent years.