The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
‘PM has no moral right to continue’
TMC chief says govt acting like salesman of plastic cards
DEMONETISATION, A MONTH AFTER
THE CENTRE has turned into a salesman trying to sell plastic cards, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday, minutes after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held a press conference advocating digital transactions.
“The government is acting like a salesman... They have started selling plastic cards... This is a desperate attempt to divert from the main issue. They are making more than a blunder a day,” she tweeted.
Sharpening her attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, Mamata said he must resign because the move has led to “economic disaster” in the country and he has “no moral right” to continue.
Claiming that the country’s growth and business have been hit due to demonetisation, she said the Prime Minister “doesn’t trust” anyone and “doesn’t understand” what is good for the country. “There is no team work. He did not consult experts. It is a one-man dictatorship. It is a oneman made disaster. It is a dangerous tendency,” she said.
Comparing Modi to ‘Ali Baba’, she added: “Everything was done in huge secrecy, like he (PM) is some Ali Baba. He should realise he is occupying a constitutional post.”
“He (Modi) thinks he is a tiger, and the only one who is right... After committing mistakes, he (PM) is showing chest and shoulder. What is this? Such figure is required in films. Ravana too had broad shoulders,” she said, referring to Modi’s “56-inch chest” remark.
Demanding a clarification on the government’s policy, Mamata said: “If I was PM, (I) would apologise to the people and talk about rectifying myself... He must step down. He has no moral right to continue. I am sorry to say that the (Union) government has got derailed under the PM. He isn’t saying what will happen tomorrow, or the day after. He must clarify.”
Mamata, who accused the Centre of becoming “more and more capitalist”, claimed that demonetisation was implemented to benefit a select few.
“No black money has even been recovered from foreign countries. In the name of recovering the so-called black money, the ruling party at the Centre has created assets in the form of land, bank deposits, gold, diamonds and has become more and more capitalist,” she said.
“The people want to know why he did it... Who got the benefit of demonetisation? The PM and his associates are the beneficiaries. The PM is protecting black money... Only the PM who stays at 7, RCR, will eat, others will not,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Mamata tweeted: “One month since demonetisation was announced. More than 90 lives lost. How many more Modi babu?”
Calling for immediate action to restore trust, she said: “People must have hassle-free access to their own money and feel secure that their money is safe with banks and financial institutions.”