New Delhi [India]: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday escalated his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the goal of his ambitious demonetisation drive has completely failed as people are continuing to suffer.
Addressing the media after an anti-demonetisation meeting which was attended by all the opposition parties except the Left, Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Gandhi said, “Demonetisation has done absolutely nothing against corruption. What it has done instead is to leave people without any money.”
“December 30th is about to come and the situation is still the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely. The Prime Minister should answer the nation as to what was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it,” he added.
The Congress vice-president further said that demonetisation was an attack on the country’s poor and had only increased unemployment.
Claiming that a new black market was created to exchange the demonetised notes, Gandhi said that demonetisation was a direct attack on the country’s financial institutions and the poor.
“A new market for conversion of money has been set up which has resulted in an attack on financial institutions and poor,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also went all guns blazing at the Prime Minister over his decision to scrap Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes, saying demonetisation is the biggest scam that has taken place post independence.
“Demonetisation is a mega scam, biggest one after independence. The government is looting money of the poor and giving it to rich in the form of loans,” Banerjee said.
She questioned Prime Minister Modi whether he would resign if things don’t get back to normal even after 50 days.
“Even if after 50 days, things will not change. Will the Prime Minister resign?” she said.
The TMC chief also accused the Modi government of pushing the country 20 years back.
“In push for cashless economy, Modi government has become baseless. It’s a total loss of face for them,” she said while describing the situation prevailing in the country as “super emergency”.
“It is not an emergency. It is a super emergency. Just it has not been officially declared,” Banerjee said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also insisted that all the opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda program.
“Modi ji said we will have ‘acche din’. Is this what he meant by acche din? People are troubled. The country has been robbed in the name of acche din. In the name of cashless, Modi Government has gone baseless. It has become totally faceless,” she said.
“This is a fearless government. They do not care about anything.”
Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day said that he was not voted to cut ribbons and light lamps but work as the country’s watchman and fight the menace of black money that has destroyed the nation.
“Have I been made the Prime Minister to attend small inaugurations and cut ribbons? The people are upset when I act as the ‘chowkidaar’,” he said while addressing a parivartan rally in Dehradun after the inauguration of the Char Dham Highway Project.
The Prime Minister said India, which used to be called the ‘bird of gold’, has been looted by its very own people.
“It is now high time for us to fight for the honest,” he added. (ANI)