Mamata calls 2K note decision another ‘Tughlaqi drama’

Opposition leaders on Saturday attacked the government over the withdrawal of Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee describing it as “Tughlaqi demonetisation drama” and Congress wondering if this was the second “notebandi” exercise.

The BJP rejected this was any sort of demonetisation and instead reminded the Congress that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes were taken off circulation.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday made the surprise announcement but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit Rs 2000 notes in accounts or exchange them at banks.

It said it had asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2000 notes with immediate effect.

Banerjee said this move would “hit common people hard once again”.

In a tweet, she said, “Another whimsical and Tughlaqi demonetisation drama of Rs 2,000 notes will hit the common people hard once again by subjecting them to massive harassment. These imperious measures are meant to camouflage the fundamentally anti-people & crony capitalist nature of this regime.

“Such misadventure by an oligarchic & authoritarian government will not be forgotten by the people at large at the time of reckoning.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for an impartial probe into the entire episode.

In a tweet in Hindi, he said, “You inflicted a deep wound on the economy with the first demonetisation. Due to this, the entire unorganised sector was destroyed, MSMEs were closed down and crores of jobs were lost.

“Now, the ‘second demonetisation’ of ₹2000 note… Is this a cover-up of a wrong decision? Only an unbiased investigation will reveal the truth of the matter.” At a press conference in Patna, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad when asked about the move said, “The RBI has put out a detailed communication clearly explaining how the use of these high denomination notes was dwindling. We would like to remind our Congress friends that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes used to be taken off circulation. Hence they (Congress) must not call it notebandi.” He added, “If these notes were in use for laundering money, scrapping these will hit such networks.” On the issue, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after the latter took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the RBI’s decision.

Kejriwal had tweeted that it was first said Rs 2000 notes will end corruption and now it is being said that withdrawing them will end corruption.

“That is why I say that we should have an educated prime minister,” he said.

Responding to this, Pradhan said Rs 2,000 notes remain legal tender and added that the “educated chief minister is again out to sell lies”.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin claimed the move is a ploy to hide the BJP’s electoral debacle.

On his Twitter handle, Stalin wrote: “500 suspicions, 1000 mysteries, 2,000 mistakes ! A single trick to conceal the electoral fiasco in Karnataka #2000Note #Demonetisation.” Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray, Bharat Rashtra Samithi spokesperson Sravan Dasoju also questioned the move.

With inputs from News18

The post Mamata calls 2K note decision another ‘Tughlaqi drama’ first appeared on IPA Newspack.