United Opposition attacks government over note ban in parliament
Demonetisation became the centrepiece of a united attack by the Opposition on the Modi government, as the Lok Sabha started debating the motion of thanks to the President's address to parliament on January 31. Last week, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over note ban. TMC's Derek O'Brien and SP's Neeraj Shekhar too had targeted the centre over note ban saying the government's ill-planned move had brought hardships for the people and had dented the economy.
On Monday, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the government saying PM Modi should apologise to the nation over demonetisation. "You can fool some of the people for some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time," he said quoting first US President Abraham Lincoln. "There is failure on all fronts. So what are you talking about," said Kharge. PM Modi was present in the house when Kharge spoke. Kharge said Modi was an expert in delivering speeches but that did not feed the poor. Noting that 125 people lost their lives in the aftermath of note ban, Kharge said the PM did not even condole the deaths. TMC's Saugata Roy too attacked the government over note ban as Opposition members raised issues like surgical strikes across LoC, funds for MNREGA, agriculture sector crisis and atrocities on scheduled castes, saying the government had failed on all fronts. Minister of state for culture Mahesh Sharma, who opened the debate in Lok Sabha, defended note ban saying said the whole country had backed PM's decision. When Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar urged the chair to expunge the charges being made by Kharge, the Congress leader quipped in Hindi saying the minister's job was to mislead the house hence he always addresses the chair. In the Rajya Sabha, which resumed the debate on motion of thanks to president's address, Congress member Rajiv Shukla said all the BJP speakers were trying to present a rosy picture before the PM as they did not want to make him angry.
Recalling the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, Shukla said even then PM Indira Gandhi did not publicise the win while the Modi government was only focused on publicity. SP's Sanjay Seth and JD-U's Sharad Yadav nodded in approval. The members in both the houses also attacked the centre over the widespread rural distress and loss of jobs due to note ban. CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury noted that President Pranab Mukherjee usually refers to debate, discussion and decision, and not disruption to describe parliamentary democracy but his address to parliament had deception, disruption and diversion, which are leading up to a diabolic agenda which is being unfolded. Yechury blamed the government was trying to create an atmosphere of fear and religious intolerance in the country. "After the surgical strike.. the number of our jawans who have laid down their lives in terrorist attacks has doubled in these three months as compared to three months earlier," he said. Explaining the impact on the overall economy of the country, he said around 45 per cent of the country's GDP is controlled by informal economy, which also employs around 80 per cent of the people and is almost 100 per cent cash-based. Around 45 per cent of the country's GDP is informal economy, which employs 80 per cent of the people and is 100 per cent cash-based, said Yechury taking a dig at the cashless economy drive of the PM. Article By – Business Standard