NEW DELHI, Nov 17: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee today set a deadline of three days to the Modi Government to roll back the demonetisation decision, warning of “widespread unrest” if the current “chaos” continues.
In a hard-hitting attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal alleged that demonetisation was the “biggest scam” in Independent India, while Banerjee said the PM should not run the country through “dictatorship” and that such a “crisis” was not seen even during Emergency.
Addressing traders at Azadpur Mandi, Asia’s largest vegetable and fruit market, both Kejriwal and Banerjee singularly targeted the Prime Minister accusing him of unleashing “pain” on common man in the name of unearthing black money.
The two leaders later held a demonstration outside Reserve Bank of India on Parliament Street and demanded that the central bank tell them about availability of currency.
“Black money is flooding the market again. Notes are being home-delivered to some people. This is independent India’s biggest scam. The Government wants to amass Rs 10 lakh crore by forcing the people to deposit their money in banks and use that amount to write off loans of Modiji’s friends.
“The Government must roll back the demonetisation decision in three days. Otherwise there will be revolt. Modiji had silently sent Vijay Mallya, who has huge debt, to London one night. But he has also brought people to the streets who are queuing up for hours,” he said.
In her address, Banerjee also asked the Government to withdraw the demonetisation decision in three days.
“We support the fight against black money but the poor and the less privileged should not suffer. We will not stay silent. And, if it is not done (withdrawn) in three days, then countrymen will not spare you,” she said.
The Delhi Chief Minister said he had “whole-heartedly” supported Modi’s various initiatives like Swachh Bharat and International Yoga Day besides cross-border surgical strike, adding if it was a genuine fight against black money he and his party would have been at its fore front.
“People are being cheated. Why did IT not raid former BJP Minister G Janardana Reddy who spent Rs 500 crores on his daughter’s wedding? And they want us common people to spend Rs 2.5 lakh on a wedding,” he said while referring to the Government’s decision to allow people to withdraw Rs 2.5 lakh if there was a wedding in the family.
Kejriwal also took a dig at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, wondering if he spent only Rs 2.5 lakh on his daughter’s wedding recently.
“Modiji, do not fool people saying that standing in line is patriotism. Who is responsible for the death of 40 people standing in queues?,” he said.
The Delhi Chief Minister also made certain allegations against Modi pertaining to his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, claiming to base his allegations on documents given to him by “someone sitting in a top position” in the Finance Ministry.
Asserting that she will continue her fight for the people, Banerjee challenged the Government to take any action against her. “I am not scared. I will continue my fight. If you have courage, put me in jail, shoot me.”
Calling her fight against demonetisation a fight to “save the country, a fight for the poor and hungry people”, the West Bengal CM said India had not witnessed such a crisis even during Emergency.
“This decision may take the country 100 years back. The Government is coming out with a decision every day. The day before yesterday it was said the limit for exchange is Rs 4,500, today you say it is Rs 2,000.
Banerjee also made light of the argument that people should use plastic money, saying only 4 per cent people in India use cards for transaction.
“The other day it was said indelible ink will have to be put on fingers. What is going on? Are we servants, are we thieves and you are honest. Is everybody a thief?” she said.
On plastic money, Banerjee said use of cash has been the basis of India’s economy, adding if money does not reach people, there may be severe problem of food in the country.
“The Prime Minister who goes abroad so frequently, has forgotten the smell of our land…The provisions of the Constitution are being breached. We did not have this kind of a situation during Emergency,” she said.
She also rejected the demand by some opposition parties to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe demonetisation, saying such committees constituted in the past to go into various issues did not yield any result.
Questioning the Government’s commitment to check black money, she also asked what steps it has taken to bring back ill-gotten wealth stashed abroad. (PTI)
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