I wasn’t elected to cut ribbons, will weed out graft, says PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Several opposition parties on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation woes of the common man, asking him to own responsibility for the chaos and demanding his resignation if the cash crunch persisted even after the 50-day deadline.

While Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi held Modi responsible for the continuing hardships of the common people, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said he will have to resign if the cash crunch woes continued even after the December 30 deadline he himself set.

Banerjee said the demonetisation decision was “illegal and unconstitutional” and that the Indian economy had been set 20 years back in these nearly 50 days. Modi will have to resign if the chaos continues beyond December 30, she said.

Both leaders addressed a joint press conference at the Constitution Club here, along with leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Janata Dal-Secular, IUMLndian Union Muslim League and All India United Democratic Front.

Several important partners in the antidemonetisation campaign — Janata Dal-United, the Left parties, Nationalist Congress Party, AIADMK, BSP and Samajwadi Party — were, however, conspicuous by their absence.

Calling the November 8 note ban the “biggest scam after Independence”, Banerjee asked if Modi will resign at the end of 50 days if the cash situation did not improve. “Modiji, you asked for 50 days; people were losing their livlihood, dying due to starvation but yet they gave you that time. Now 47 days are over and only three days are left,” the Chief Minister said.

“We will wait for the next three days. But Modiji, if things remain unsolved, will you take responsibility and resign as the Prime Minister?” she asked.

Rahul Gandhi said Modi should accept responsibility since the latter’s assurance of normalcy after 50 days seems to be failing and people are still facing hardships due to cash crunch.

“December 30 is near, but the situation is still the same. The Prime Minister needs to answer who is responsible for the people’s hardships... It is the Prime Minister who is responsible,” Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said demonitasation had failed to reduce corruption and arrest black money laundering, and was instead an attack on the country’s poor. “Demonetisation has had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged — to convert black money into white,” Gandhi said.

Countering the government’s stance that demonetisation will curb terror funding, Gandhi said Rs 2,000 notes were found in possession of terrorists killed days after the November 8 scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. He asked Modi to tell the nation what he dubbed was the “real motive” behind the move.

The West Bengal Chief Minister mocked the cashless economy argument of the Centre. “While an advanced economy like the United States has around 40 per cent cash transactions, he (Modi) talks about cashless economy. In the name of cashless economy, the Modi government has gone baseless; it has gone faceless,” she quipped. Banerjee claimed a “hidden agenda” behind the demonetisation.

“If the government is weak, the country becomes weak. Demonetisation has made the whole country unstable. This government must go; otherwise, the people will throw it out,” added the TMC leader.

The DMK and the RJD dubbed the demonetisation move “ill-conceived and anti-people”.

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said the country is facing a financial crisis due to note ban. He said only six per cent of the black money was in hard cash and for this six per cent, the Prime Minister has put then entire people across the country in trouble.

“No results have come so far. It has been an illconceived and poorly implemented move,” Siva said.

“There is no assurance that no black money will be generated in future. There is no actual figure as to how much black money was deposited or recovered,” Siva added. — IANS DEHRADUN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for demonetisation on Tuesday and said the move is aimed to weed out corruption from the country and give India its long deserving place.

The country, which was once referred to as a ‘Golden Bird’, has now become just the opposite, Modi said addressing a public rally at Parade Grounds here and reiterated his commitment to take on the corrupt and black money.

Amid cheers from a large gathering, Modi made a fervent appeal to the people of Uttarakhand to vote for a BJP government in the state in the 2017 state assembly polls, saying this is the only way to bring the hill state out of the mess it finds itself in.

“You need a double engine to pull it out. One engine you have installed in Delhi and the second one should come in the form of a BJP government in the state,” he stated.

Pinpointing graft as the biggest stumbling block in the progress of the country, the Prime Minister said he was voted to power with a majority in 2014 by the people of India “not to cut ribbons and light inaugural lamps”.

“They (the people) wanted me to act, and here I am after the corrupt people and black money, which was being used for human trafficking, drugs, mafia and the underworld.” He once again targeted the opposition parties and some politicians for siding with the corrupt and black money hoarders. Modi also thanked the people for facing hardships post demonetisation but endorsing his fight against graft and black money.

“The people of India by and large are people who side with the honest and I am happy that I have your blessings, else what these politicians would have done to me, only God knows,” Modi said

Taking a dig at the people opposing the demonetisation decision, the Prime Minister said the corrupt are sweating, as his government is after them for looting the money which belongs to the people. He also underlined his resolve to bring the corrupt to book and account for every single penny belonging to the poor people. Modi referred to OROP (One-Rank-One-Pension) scheme and saluted the defence personnel for understanding the financial constraints of the union government and for agreeing to take the arrears in four instalments. He also informed that so far Rs 6,600 crore has been distributed under the OROP scheme.

In a state headed to elect a new assembly in the next few weeks, Modi also tried to woo the young and the unemployed that his government has done away with the practice of interviews for Group C and D jobs, which breeds corruption and nepotism. “Now, only merit guarantees one a job, while earlier it used to be notes that did so,” he said as the crowd applauded. The PM also laid the foundation stone for an ‘all-weather’ road for the ‘ Char Dham’ annual pilgrimage. — IANS