Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “inhumane response” to the crisis triggered by his “unplanned” demonetisation move, which had taken several lives in the country, including Punjab, over the past 10 days.
“People are dying, with your ‘kadak chai’ giving them ulcers on empty stomachs,” said Capt Amarinder Singh, amid reports that a man had died due to delay in arranging new notes to pay at the private hospital in Jalandhar where he was rushed for medical treatment on Monday.
Similar reports of people dying, as a result of failure to receive timely medical help in the absence of new currency, have also been coming in from other parts of the country, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president pointed out, adding that in one case, at least, a man had died of heart attack while waiting in a queue to exchange his old money for new notes.
“How are these incidents helping to curb corruption and check the flow of black money into the country,” Capt Amarinder demanded to know from Modi, warning him that the demonetisation move would backfire on him and his government if not immediately reviewed. lashing out at Modi for taking refuge in histrionics and falsehoods to cover up his failure in managing demonetisation programme properly, Capt Amarinder said: “Notwithstanding Modi’s claims to the contrary, it was the poor of the country who were suffering the most as a result of the move.”