No ordinary PM could have taken decision of demonetisation: MP CM Chouhan

Lauding the government's demonetisation move, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said no ordinary Prime Minister could have taken the decision to ban high-value currency notes.

"Was the decision on currency ban easy? Could any ordinary Prime Minister take such a decision? Modi ji thinks for the benefit of the nation. I believe only an able Prime Minister could have taken this step," Chouhan said in an exclusive interview with Smita Prakash, Editor, ANI.

Talking about the government's 'Swachchta Abhiyan', Chouhan said earlier the people used to make fun of the drive but now they have embraced it.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley earlier today called the government's decision to ban 500 and 1,000-rupee notes as courageous and said India now has the capacity to take and implement a decision on notes ban.

"India has capacity to take decision on demonetisation, it's no longer a fragile economy," the Finance Minister told a gathering of industry leaders at the 89th annual general meeting of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry or FICCI in Delhi.

He said notes ban will have long term benefits and the whole process of re-monetisation will be done soon as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is pushing in money.

Taking a dig at the previous Congress government, the Finance Minister said the decision of notes ban now marks the "new normal in India."

Prime Minister Modi announced the decision to ban high-value denomination earlier on November 8.