Nation wants 'decision, not emotion' from PM, says Congress

The West Bengal unit of Congress on Monday dubbed the Narendra Modi government's decision to demonetise higher value notes as a "political gimick" and said the initiative has plunged the nation into an "unprecedented economic crisis".

Addressing a joint media meet, two former state Congress chiefs Somen Mitra and Pradip Bhattacharya went hammer and tongs against the central government for demonetising the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 value notes ceasing to be legal tender.

"The government's decision has barred the common man from using their hard-earned money and pushed the nation's economy to a new low," Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha member, said.

Bhattacharya said the scrapping of old notes has not touched the black money holders to the extent it has impacted the lives of the working class.

"Modi says it is a war against black money. That's poltical gimmick. What steps has he taken to recover the non-performing asset worth roughly 64,000 crore rupees or bring back hoards of money stashed in foreign banks, to the nation's economy," Bhattacharya asked.

"People of the nation want decision from the Prime Minister, not emotion," former Lok Sabha member Mitra said, referring to Modi's emotional address to the nation.

Criticising Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's comment that India would be made a cashless economy, Mitra said it would be foolish trying to convert a huge country like India.

"India is home to 125 crore people and more than 100 different communities where almost 60 per cent of people deal in cash. Trying to make this nation a cashless economy would be disastrous," Mitra said.

--IANS

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