RAIPUR: Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati on Thursday said, clouds of threat was hovering over democracy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is repeatedly trying to “browbeat” the people with his statements that his government would not spare the dishonest.“Government’s job is to protect the people and save them from any crisis. But the Prime Minister is threatening the masses,” the seer of Jyotish and Dwarka Sharada Peeth said in a strongly worded statement on completion of 50 days of demonetization Pointing out money power always plays an important role in all elections right from gram panchayats to parliament, the Shankaracharya said while announcing demonetization, Prime Minister Modi had stated that the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 would cease to be legal tender but now an ordinance has been promulgated making a provision to jail those who are in possession of 10 pieces of junked currency notes. “Why one should be jailed for keeping just a few pieces of paper?” He wondered.The Shankaracharya said the manner in which the government is trying to change the narrative by propagating for a cashless society indicates that an individual’s economic freedom is also under threat. “Do we have a proper system for data protection to prevent hacking and other issues associated with digital economy?” He asked adding that the crisis triggered after demonetization had badly affected all sections of the society, including farmers, small and medium businessmen.Shankaracharya said that after having failed to handle the situation arising out of demonetization, Modi government is now trying to divert peoples’attention with yet another propaganda to acquire and confiscate benami property. He asked how the government would go about in implementing it, pointing out that such an action would directly hit the farmers and their land as many of them have divided their property into different names because of ceiling laws.“A government is voted to power for a period of five years during which it has to make efforts to fulfil its election promises,” the Shankaracharya said adding that “when a ruling party compares opposition to an enemy like Pakistan, it's an indication that it cannot tolerate an opposition. Ruling party’s such an intolerance is now becoming a matter of serious concern,” the seer said.