Demonetisation must be rolled back: Kejriwal

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Nov 19 2016 | 10:02 PM IST
Pitching for transparency in political funding, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today dared BJP to reveal details of its coffers, reiterating his allegation that demonetisation must be rolled back immediately as it was a "huge scam".
He also rubbished charges that AAP was opposing demonetisation as it has hit the party's prospects in Punjab.
"Why doesn't Modiji reveal who funded his 2014 election bid? All parties must do this, whether it is SP, BSP. Amit Shah (BJP President) unleashed all agencies including CBI, ED, Income Tax after us but could not find anything, otherwise they would have jailed me by now. AAP maintains account of every paisa spent," Kejriwal said.
He alleged that the entire demonetisation exercise was aimed at waiving debts owed by large industrialists through the money deposited by people, and that it would not unearth a single paisa of black money.
"Only three days ago, the SBI wrote off loans given to 63 industrialists worth Rs 7000 crore. Vijay Mallya was the biggest beneficiary of this write off, whose Rs 1200 crore loans were written off," he said.
The AAP chief, who had demonstrated outside the RBI here with his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, said by some estimates it would take "six more months" to print new notes of equivalent value that have been demonetised.
He made the remarks during a live session on social media site Facebook.
He said his allegations against Modi have not yet been countered by the BJP which he said "deepens the suspicion".
Kejriwal had made some allegations against Modi pertaining to his tenure as Gujarat chief minister.
The BJP has "settings" with black money holders, he alleged, adding he would have supported Modi had the intention behind the move was correct, "but I cannot have blind faith on anyone".
In the session, that lasted over 50 minutes, Kejriwal reiterated his demand that the exercise be rolled back, which he said was "very much possible even at this stage".
Meanwhile, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel met President Pranab Mukherjee and handed over to him a resolution passed by the Assembly on demonetisation during its emergency session. He also submitted some documents which were shown by Kejriwal while making some allegations against some "big politicians".

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 19 2016 | 10:02 PM IST

Next Story