Demonetisation rattled those with black money, fake notes: Amit Shah

Responding to Mayawati's charge of the move leading to an "economic emergency", he said it has caused an emergency in the BSP

BJP President Amit Shah on Friday asserted that rival parties have exposed themselves and shown their true face by criticising the Centre's demonetisation move which, he said, has rattled those with black money and fake currency and made some political parties poor as well.

Taking a swipe at his rivals, the BJP chief said he would like to ask Congress, SP, BSP and AAP as to why they are so pained.

Shah said while he understands dealers of black money, fake currency, hawala and drug are rattled what he cannot fathom as to why leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal are joining the list of such people.

Even though he insisted that the government's move had nothing to do with the impending assembly polls, he said BJP will benefit politically going by the reactions of opposition parties.

Assembly polls on his mind, Shah consistently targeted SP, BSP and Congress, BJP's rivals in Uttar Pradesh, AAP, its challenger in Punjab besides Congress, but skipped any mention of TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was the first leader to take on the government. He named her in his reply to a question.

"I can understand the pain of those keeping black money, fake currency, terrorists, hawala operators, naxalites and drug dealers with this decision. What has amazed me is the way some political parties are rattled.

"I want to ask Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP President), the BSP chief, Arvind Kejriwal as to whe are you pained? If politics become cleaner with a measure and black money is taken out of electoral politics, then why should it pain political parties," he said.

He challenged political parties to face the polls with the issue and said "People will decide."

These political parties always questioned the Modi government what it was doing against black money and now it has given such a hard blow to black money and they are rattled, he said.

"The kind of environment these political parties are making I want to ask them if you are in support of black money, hawala operators, terrorism, fake currency dealers... SP, BSP, Arvind Kejriwal and Congress should answer this.

"What is the problem of these four parties? They have exposed themselves and shown their true faces," Shah said.

To a poser that these parties have claimed to have voiced concerns of the poor, he said the demonetisation move will do no harm to the poor. "But some political parties have become poor."

Asked about Mayawati's charge of the move leading to an "economic emergency", he said it has caused an emergency in her party- BSP.