Chidambaram asks Jaitley if it’s ‘ethical’ to let millions suffer

NEW DELHI: Congress leader P Chidambaram launched a scathing attack on the Centre and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the anniversary of the note ban decision on Wednesday, asking whether it was “ethical” to heap misery on millions of people. No one could deny that lives and jobs were lost due to the note ban, the former Union finance minister said on “demonetisation Black Day”.

A day after Jaitley said the demonetisation decision was an “ethical drive and a moral step”, Chidambaram took him on in a series of tweets.

“FM says demonetisation was “ethical”. Was it ethical to heap misery on millions of people, especially 15 crore daily wage earners?” he asked.

The former finance minister went on to ask if it was ethical to destroy 15 lakh regular jobs during January-april 2017 and force thousands of micro and small businesses to close down?

Former FM also asked if it was ethical to damage vibrant industrial hubs like Surat, Bhiwandi, Moradabad, Agra

“Was it ethical to give an easy way for converting black money into white as now discovered by Government?”

The former finance minister also asked whether it was ethical to damage vibrant industrial hubs like Surat, Bhiwandi, Moradabad, Agra, Ludhiana and Tiruppur.

A year after the demonetisation decision, Chidambaram also launched a frontal attack on the Modi government and said, “On demonetisation Black Day read real-life stories, say a prayer for the millions who suffered.”