Jan Dhan money to go to poor, this is the last queue: PM

Modi said he was being hounded by his rivals but his fight against the corrupt shall not stop “come what may”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he was working on a formula to send the corrupt, who deposited their money in Jan Dhan accounts of poor people after demonetisation, to jail and ensure that the money goes to poor households.

Responding to criticism over long queues outside banks and ATMs, since the note ban on November 8, he accused his rivals of trying to “spread disinformation and despair” and said “this will be the last queue for people who have been standing in line for the last 70 years for their daily needs”.

“All those who have received money in their Jan Dhan accounts should not return it. I am working hard on a formula that would send those who deposited money illegally to jail and to ensure that the money goes to the poor households,” Modi said addressing a public rally here.

Jan Dhan accounts were opened under a special campaign for providing banking facilities to the poor launched by the Modi government in August 2014.

“I salute the people of the country for standing for long hours in queues. I want to ask the politicians, who are crying over these queues: You kept the entire nation in queues for 70 years after Independence, as one had to stand in lines for sugar, kerosene and wheat in the past. This is the last queue to end all those queues,” he said.

The PM said only the honest queue up outside the banks to deposit money, while the corrupt are standing outside the houses of poor.

Modi said he was being hounded by his rivals on the note ban issue but pledged that his fight against corruption shall not stop “come what may”. “I am being hounded as if I have committed a crime by waging a battle against graft. But, what can my opponents do to me? I am a

fakir (hermit)... jhola ley kar chaley jayenge (I will exit with my little belongings),” he said.