Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday demanded the Centre’s Narendra Modi government to withdraw demonetisation move within three days.
Both the chief ministers threatened to launch a mass movement if the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 were not withdrawn within the next three days.
Addressing a rally in Delhi’s Azadpur market, Banerjee said, “If you have courage, send us to jail or shoot us…But we will continue fighting.”
According to Indian Express, Banerjee accused the government of trying to sell the country adding that the prevailing situation was worse than the 1975 emergency.
“They want to sell this country. They are trying to break the constitution. We cannot allow that,” the TMC chief said at the rally.
Both leaders then visited the RBI office in Delhi for an update on the existing situation with regards to printing of new notes.
Addressing the rally, Kejriwal alleged that demonetisation was the “biggest scam” in Independent India’s history while Banerjee said Modi should not run the country through “dictatorship”, calling the protest a fight to save the country.
The Delhi chief Minister alleged that demonetisation was being carried out to write-off around Rs 8 lakh crore of loan owed by Modi’s “corporate friends” by collecting Rs 10 lakh crore from the people through the exercise.
“Black money is flooding the market again. Notes are being home delivered to some people. This is independent India’s biggest scam. The government wants to amass Rs 10 lakh crore by forcing the people to deposit their money in banks and use that amount to write off loans of Modiji’s friends.
“Modiji sent Vijay Mallya, who has huge debt, to London one night. He has also brought people to the streets (following demonetisation). People are being cheated. Why did IT not raid former BJP Minister G Janardana Reddy who spent Rs 500 crores in his daughter’s wedding? And they want us common people to spend Rs 2.5 lakh in a wedding,” he said.
Kejriwal also took a dig at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wondering if he spent only Rs 2.5 lakh in his daughter’s wedding recently.
“Modiji, do not fool people saying standing in line is patriotism. Who is responsible for the death of 40 people standing in queues?,” he said, addressing traders at Azadpur wholesale fruit and vegetable market.
The Delhi chief Minister also made certain allegations against Modi pertaining to his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, claiming to base his allegations on documents given to him by a someone sitting in a top position in the Finance Ministry.
Kejriwal tweeted, “How much currency needed? How much printed? What is capacity? How many more days will it take? Myself n Mamtadi at RBI to get this info.”
How much currency needed? How much printed? What is capacity? How many more days will it take? Myself n Mamtadi at RBI to get this info
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 17, 2016
