Shah, Mamata lock horns over demonetisation

BJP and its rivals today traded barbs over demonetisation with party chief Amit Shah claiming only opposition leaders whose "looted" money had turned into rubbish were opposing the action and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee likening the Prime Minister to "Hitler" who violated the rights of people.
Lead opposition Congress also took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his directive to BJP MPs and MLAs to submit their bank account statements for period between November 8, the day he announced demonetisation of high-value currency notes, and December 31 to Shah.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal demanded that Modi provide details of bank transactions of BJP MPs and MLAs also for period preceding the announcement of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency bills.

Buoyed by BJP's win in the recent civic elections in Maharashtra and Gujarat and some Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls, Shah said it showed people's support for Modi's demonetization move and claimed some opposition leaders were upset as their money "looted" in scams had turned into trash.
"SP, BSP, Congress, Mamata (Banerjee), (Arvind) Kejriwal are all angry with Narendra Modi today. Do you know why this is so...What was amassed through loot has been turned into 'raddi' (trash) by Modiji on November 8," he told a party rally in UP's Maharajganj.
"While opposition is organising Bharat bandh and Akrosh Divas,... Everywhere BJP posted unprecedented victory. People are with the government's decision on demonetisation.

"Poor do not have black money...Rahul baba, Akhilesh babu, behen Mayawati...It is the one that was lying with you all that has been lost...What will happen now...Those who are caught with black money will lose 50 per cent and this money will be put in the treasury of the country," Shah said.

Mamata Banerjee, who took her battle against demonetisation to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, hit back, equating Modi with German dictator Adolf Hitler and Delhi's autocrat ruler Muhamman bin Tuglaq.
"Modiji has surpassed (Muhammad bin) Tuglaq and Hitler...He has flouted the constitutional rights of common people," the Trinamool Congress chief said at a rally against demonetisation organised jointly with the ruling Samajwadi Party here.

Vowing to fight till demonetisation is rolled back, Banerjee said, "The fight against note ban will continue till this decision is revoked as note culling has shut shops, markets and agricultural operations."
She dared the Prime Minister to first declare his own and Shah's bank account details.
"Just before demonetisation, a large number of properties have been bought in the name of BJP and its president," she alleged referring to media reports claiming that BJP bought several pieces of land, worth crores of rupees, in Bihar weeks ahead of the demonetisation declaration on November 8.
She termed demonetisation a "big scam" and "black emergency".