People suffering due to cash crunch while BJP flushed with currency: Yechury

With several parts of the country witnessing shortage of cash in ATMs and banks, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today flayed the government, saying people were suffering while the only party flushed with currency was the BJP.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sudden decision to demonetise high-value currency notes in November 2016 did not end terrorism, corruption or the menace of fake currency, but it had hit the Indian economy hard.

"This govt which still has not been able to count the demonetised currency is asking us to trust its jumla that there is no cash crunch. After the demonetisation disaster where goalposts were repeatedly shifted and deadlines changed, no one trusts the Modi government anymore.

"ATMs were empty in November 2016. ATMs are empty now. And the only party flush with cash is the BJP: the people suffer. The country is still paying the price of a sudden midnight firman of demonetisation. Institutional damage under Modi has caused great hardship to the common Indian," he said in a series of tweets.

Several parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and poll-bound Karnataka have reported shortage of currency and ATMs running down, which the government today attributed to unusual spurt in demand in last three months.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the "temporary shortage" in certain states is being "tackled quickly" and that there is "more than adequate" currency in circulation.