The stand-off on the way demonetisation had been handled persisted on Friday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad apologise to the nation for equating people dying in Uri as a result of Pakistan’s attacks with those who had died as a result of the stress brought on by the need to exchange currency notes. The Congress refused to apologise and rallied behind Azad. It also joined the rest of the Opposition in demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to the House to reply.
The government and the Opposition will likely revisit parliamentary strategies over the weekend to fine-tune them. On Monday, when Parliament meets again, similar scenes are likely. The chances of Modi either intervening or replying to the debate are remote.
Of Friday, neither House of Parliament transacted any business. The entire Congress will congregate on Saturday evening for the Indira Gandhi centennial lecture, to be delivered by President Pranab Mukherjee, to kick-start the 100th anniversary celebrations of Indira Gandhi. That will be a political show of strength.
Modi met senior ministers, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his chamber, to discuss further strategy. He has directed BJP MPs to go to their constituencies to explain how demonetisation will benefit ordinary people. How many MPs will hold such meetings and what they will say will also be a test of the PM’s leadership.
The BJP came under further pressure because of developments in Maharashtra where the Opposition Congress and the NCP MLAs asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to sack Cooperatives Minister Subhash Deshmukh amid reports of seizure of Rs 91 lakh from a vehicle belonging to the minister.
“(Recovery of cash) proves that BJP leaders are in the possession of black money. Since the government has launched a campaign against black money and corruption, properties of the BJP leaders should be searched to unearth black money. He (the minister) should be sacked from the ministry and arrested,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
According to reports, cash worth Rs 91 lakh belonging to the Lokmangal Group of the minister was seized by a Osmanabad municipality squad on Thursday. The cash was in Rs 1,000 notes. According to a PTI report, Deshmukh said: “I have been in this business (banking) for two decades. While doing business, nothing wrong has been done. However, irregularities may happen. If irregularities have happened, there is punishment for it. I am ready to face punishment.”
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