Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata warn of revolt over demonetisation

NEW DELHI: Warning the Centre of a revolt by the people, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took to the streets demanding that the demonetisation move be revoked within three days. The two chief ministers also visited the RBI office and submitted a list of questions on the availability of the currency.
At a public hearing organised at Azadpur Mandi, Kejriwal and Banerjee spoke at length about the problems being faced by the common man due to the scrapping of the old 500 and 1,000 notes.Kejriwal, who had on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having allegedly accepted money from industrial houses, repeated his charges and flashed “documents” from the income-tax department to reinforce his point.
Kejriwal asked why these accusations were not being probed. “Why is the Centre after people with Rs 2.5 lakh when people like Janardhan Reddy are spending Rs 500 crore on their daughter’s wedding? We want to know where he got this money from and whether he stood in a line to withdraw it,” he said.
Referring to how his party had originated from the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, Kejriwal said that AAP would support any positive move by the government but demonetisation had led to more corruption in the past nine days than the entire history of independent India.
“Some people were caught in Gujarat on Wednesday giving a bribe of Rs 3 lakh in Rs 2,000 notes. When there is a cap on withdrawal, where did they get so many notes? No rich person can be seen in these long lines outside banks and ATMs; they are getting home delivery. Modiji is hiding behind the garb of patriotism and, in the name of curbing corruption, he is carrying out the biggest scam ever,” he said.
Banerjee, who said she was in Delhi to meet the President over the “crisis”, accused the BJP of having taken the country back several years. “BJP promised ‘achche din’ but there is nothing for the common man.” She added that thousands of trucks were stranded at the borders. “Vegetables are rotting in these trucks. If the vegetables don’t reach markets, what will people eat and how will they survive? Will they eat gold and diamonds or ATMs?”
Accusing the government of having no idea of what it was doing, she said: “Sometimes, they are cancelling 500 and 1,000 notes; then, they are changing withdrawal limits. Now, they are putting ink on our fingers. Don’t they trust the people of this country? It seems that everyone Indian is a thief, only Modi is the saint.”
Banerjee said in India only 4% people used plastic money. “Labours and farmers in our country don’t have the means to survive without cash. I have no ego fight with Modiji, but when he asks for 50 days for rolling out this scheme, does he think a poor man can live without food for even a day?” Banerjee asked.