Kejriwal lashes out at Modi government on demonetisation

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday lashed out against the Narendra Modi government on demonetisation and termed it a "big scam".

"People are facing problems, troubles and hardships due to this," Kejriwal said while addressing a rally here.

"Trade, industry and the common man have suffered badly, farmers are in grave trouble, mandis wear a deserted look and the country's economy has been adversely affected," he said.

"If it would have been a drive against corruption, then I would have been the first person to support Modi-ji," he added.

Kejriwal further said: "I am not here for political reasons. If I was interested in just politics, then I would have gone to Punjab and Goa rather than coming here.

"I am travelling all over the country to educate people and make them aware about demonetisation, and I have come to Jaipur for this reason only."

He demanded that audit should be ordered into the accounts of all political parties and all transactions over the last five years.

He alleged that 70 per cent of the BJP donations came in cash, the Congress figure is 80 per cent, while 8 per cent donations for the AAP came in cash.

"Modiji should first make his party cashless (not to take donations in cash) before making the economy cashless", he said.

The common man is feeling cheated, as the big fish have already converted their currency, he said.

The Prime Minister has already got a list of 648 persons who have accounts in Swiss banks.

"If he (PM) takes action against them then all the black money can be recovered. Why is he not acting against these persons," he asked.

He alleged that this note ban is Rs 8-lakh crore scam. This much was given as loans by banks to big businessmen. The Modi government has already waived off loans of over Rs 1.14 lakh crore of big business tycoons, he said.

"Banks were left no money because of this and the government wanted to write off Rs 8-lakh crore loans, so Modi-ji and Amit Shah resorted to this note ban or demonetisation," Kejriwal said.

Targeting Vijay Mallaya, he said that in March he was allowed to run away from the country. "Now they are claiming that they are trying to bring him back."

"When people were standing in queues to convert their currency, Modi government wrote off some loans of Mallya. Do you think they (the BJP government) did it for free?"

He also showed a file containing papers, in which he claimed that in October 2013, the Income-Tax department had raided the Birla Group and in documents recovered by the I-T officials, it is written that the then Gujarat Chief Minister would be given Rs 25 crore, out of which Rs 12 crore had already been paid.

Likewise, in November 2014, an I-T raid was conducted on the Sahara Group and Rs 130 crore cash and incriminating documents were recovered which had names of some politicians mentioned to whom money was paid. He alleged that Modi's name also figures in it.

"Why Modi-ji is not ordering inquiry into allegations of kickbacks by some industrialists," he wondered.

--IANS

as/nir/dg