Some 'understanding' between BJD-BJP over demonetisation: Cong

Fifty days after demonetisation, Congress today took a dig at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for backing the Centre apparently due to some understanding with BJP which, it said, has betrayed people on black money and brought them miseries with the note ban.
"It is surprising that Naveen Patnaik supported demonetisation. He appeared to have backed the move due to political compulsion or some understanding with BJP," AICC national spokesperson Sanjay Jha told reporters here.
Noting that the ruling BJD in Odisha has been facing a number of corruption charges, Jha said Patnaik must give an explanation on whether his government is working for the interests of the common people or trying to benefit business houses and industrialists.

Terming demonetisation as the "biggest scam" since the country's Independence, the Congress leader said the Odisha CM should realise that the timeline of 50 days set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is over but no solution to the plight caused to people due to note ban is in sight.
It is evident that Patnaik was indifferent towards the miseries and hardship caused by demonetisation to the common people as it snatched livelihoods of a large number of people in different sectors, he said.
Accusing Modi of having betrayed people on black money, Jha said before 2014 polls the BJP leader had promised to bring back all black money stashed abroad within 100 days and deposit Rs 15 lakh in everybody's bank account.

Similarly, the Prime Minister had initially said black money in the country would be wiped out with demonetisation and money circulation position would become normal within 50 days, the Congress leader said, adding Modi subsequently deviated from black money to digital and cashless economy.

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Claiming that there was no effort by the Modi government to retrieve black money from abroad despite having detailed information, Jha said now also all the "big shots" have managed to convert their black money into white while the common man was made to suffer due to demonetisation.
The Congress leader also sought a thorough investigation into the money deposited in banks before note ban as he termed demonetisation as "part of a conspiracy to mislead people before assembly elections" in some states.

Charging Modi with causing economic anarchy due to the note ban, he claimed that development has come to a grinding halt marked by economic instability in the country and death of more than 100 people due to cash crunch.
Dubbing note ban as organised plunder, he said money was taken from people's pockets and put in banks, while some BJP leaders have been caught with huge amounts of new currency notes which needs to be thoroughly probed.
Jha said PM Modi's credibility is under cloud as his name has allegedly surfaced in diaries for receiving kickbacks when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, a charge rejected by BJP.