Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to withdraw demonetisation move while demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the scrapping of high currency notes.
The CM termed the demonetisation as “fraud” on the nation aimed at benefiting a “particular political party”, a veiled reference to BJP.
Kejriwal tabled a resolution in the Delhi Assembly in this regard during its one-day emergency session which lasted for two-and-a-half hours.
Reading out the resolution, Kejriwal noted “with anger and anguish” that the Prime Minister has delivered a “huge blow” to the common people and Indian economy through his address to the nation on November 8. The decision to implement the “devastating and mysterious demonetisation” scheme was taken in a most “non-transparent” and “undemocratic” manner, the resolution stated.
“I urge upon the President to direct the Central Government to withdraw at once the draconian demonetisation scheme...To take necessary steps to institute a high-level probe to be monitored by the Supreme Court to look into the allegations that the scheme is a fraud on the nation…
“...And that it has been launched to benefit a particular political party through its agents in black money market,” Kejriwal said while tabling his resolution.
The special session was convened by the AAP Government in Delhi to put pressure on the Centre to roll back demonetisation. The session was marred by ruckus with leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta being marshalled out from the House for arguing with Kejriwal while he was addressing the issue of demonetisation.
“The question is whether people’s money in banks is safeIJ They take money from the rich and force people to queue up outside banks. In the name of strong tea, you have fed them poison. You are the PM of black money holders, rich and enemy of the poor,” Kejriwal said in the Assembly.
Speaking on the resolution, Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of protecting his “corporate friends” and exploiting the poor in the name of demonetisation.
Kejriwal also quoted the statement of Shubhendu Amitabh, the then Group Executive President of Adtiya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. ltd. (ABMCPl), to the Income-Tax Department on the notes stored in his personal laptop. The Chief Minister said the facts came out after the CBI made searches in Aditya Birla Group in connection with coal block scam investigation in October 2013, during which the agency seized huge amounts of cash stashed away in its Delhi premises and the Income-Tax Department was informed.
The Delhi Chief Minister, who demanded immediate roll-back of the Centre’s move to replace old Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes, said when the I-T Dept. asked Amitabh if he or any other company official in any other communication in the past had referred the Group company Alkali Chemicals as “Gujarat CM”, Amitabh evaded a direct reply.
He also said in 2012, a list of 648 people came out who were hoarding money in Swiss Bank but the present Government has not written a single letter to Swiss counterparts to carry out further investigation.
“Is people’s money safe in the banksIJ The money that poor people are depositing in the bank will make these banks rich and they will exit the country like Vijay Mallya,” Kejriwal said.
The CM also urged the Central Government to rollback the demonetisation drive which has adversely affected the common man. “We would urge the Government to roll back this scheme. We are not against black money. If they want to implement, then give proper time to people. Plan it properly, we will support you. If they do not roll back immediately then this economy will be in peril,” Kejriwal said.
Condemning the demonetisation scheme, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, “If some cockroach enter into someone’s house then pest control team is called in... Initially I thought the Prime Minister announcement to ban of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes would bring changes but when he said his Government was replacing the notes and also bringing Rs 2,000, I was taken aback. I cannot understand why. With Rs 2,000 notes, the businessmen will hoard more black money.”
Earlier, the members also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to those who lost lives while standing in queues outsides banks and ATMs to withdraw money. The two BJP MlAs in the Assembly walked out protesting against it.