The Shiv Sena on Friday joined the Opposition parties in debunking the NDA Government’s move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, with party chief Uddhav Thackeray slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for putting common people to considerable inconvenience through his “wrong” decision.
Without mincing words, Uddhav charged that by this decision and without making any alternative arrangement for free flow of hard cash, Modi had betrayed the confidence of people. “Instead of indulging in Mann Ki baat, Modiji indulged in Dhan ki baat. If anything, he should indulged is Jan ki baat … Otherwise you account for the tremendous inconvenience faced by common people,” Uddhav asked as he addressed a news conference here.
Uddhav also took at a potshot at Modi, by saying: “Having brought people to streets, the Prime Minister has quietly left for Japan”.
Making it clear that he was not against the Government’s commitment to root out black money from the society, Uddhav said, “But, by demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes all of a sudden, the Government has put the ordinary people to a lot inconvenience.”
It is poor and common people who are hit by the demonetization move. Who will take the responsibility of the death of an elderly man who died while waiting to exchange old notes before a bank at MulundIJ”
“I agree that the Government should bring out black money to the market. The Government has now undertaken a surgical strike on Rs 500 and 1,000 notes. You may feel free to expand your 56 inches to 5,600 inches, but show that you have the guts to carry a surgical strike on Swiss Banks where huge chunks of black money has been stashed away, the Sena chief said, as he demanded to know when the Government would bring back black money from foreign banks.
In elaboration, Uddhav said: “I repeat myself I am not against demonetization. But, the Government should have taken care to ensure that common people are not inconvenienced in the process. We see huge crowds before banks and ATMs. Many marriages have been either cancelled or postponed. People are facing difficulty in clearing bills at hospitals..
… People have shown confidence in Modi and elected this elected this Government. But the Government should not betray the confidence of people in it by indulging in this kind of things”.
Recalling that the Janata Party government under the leadership of late Prime Minister Morarji Desai had resorted to demonisation of currency, Uddhav said: “All of us know as to what happened then”.
Alluding to use of money in the forthcoming UP elections, Uddhav said: “If BJP spends more in UP polls then it will mean allegations of Mayawati are true… let’s wait and watch which party spends how much money in UP elections.
Uddhav’s criticism of the NDA government, of which the Shiv Sena is a constituent, came a day after his party attacked the Modi dispensation – albeit mildly – over its demonetization move.
Sounding not so enthusiastic or positive about the success of the demonetisation of the currency notes of the demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, the Sena in an editorial published in its official piece “Saamana” had said on Thursday: “The demnetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes may have been described as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second surgical strike and it may be an assault on the black money menace, but only future will tell if this step will root out corruption and black money”. “
“After all, corruption is a habit. Till such time this habit is diminished from the minds of certain sections of the people in the society, we will not be able to root out the menace of black money from the society, “ the Sena mouth-piece had stated.