Indira Gandhi Ignored Advice To Demonetise, Sold Out India
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today levelled charges against two former Prime Ministers , his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh and Indira Gandhi, of ignoring basic steps to fight corruption.
He told his party’s parliamentarians this morning, at a time when his government is being asked to explain the vast cash crunch forged by its sudden cancellation of 500-and 1,000-rupee notes a little over a month ago.
PM Modi, who had to face embarrassment due to BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani`s outburst against his government`s attitude in Parliament, said the demonetisation recommendation during Indira Gandhi’s tenure were made by the Niranjan Nath Wanchoo-led committee.
“Indira Gandhi told YB Chavan that don’t you want to contest polls? This was Congress plank but they did not implement,” the PM said.
Ripping into the Opposition over Parliament logjam, the Prime Minister said, ”unlike earlier when Opposition parties stalled the House against scams, Congress-led parties are now doing so against government’s steps to curb black money and corruption.”
PM Modi said that Dr Manomhan Singh kept stating the need to erase black money and check corruption but “did nothing during his 10 years” in power as the head of the Congress-led coalition government.
The Prime Minister also referred to Indira Gandhi, stating that a report in 1971 strongly urged demonetisation – to which, he said, her response was: “Are there no more elections to be fought by the Congress party?”
The Prime Minister said, “had this (demonetisation) been implemented then, the country would not have been destroyed.” BJP chief Amit Shah ordered all national lawmakers to spend a week in their constituencies propagating the benefits of the decision to cancel high-denomination notes.
The comments from PM Modi and the BJP President come as some within their party have reportedly shared concerns over how the cash crunch that is being felt across the country, especially in rural India, could impact the BJP in the approaching elections early next year in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The opposition, which had forged a rare unity to attack the government over causing what it describes as an economic crisis, showed signs of unravelling today after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, along with other leaders from his party, met with Prime Minister Modi.
The session was held for Mr Gandhi to present the concerns of farmers in Uttar Pradesh, who he met during a month-long tour of the state in September.
Angry about the Congress breaking ranks at a time when the opposition has been coordinating a combined strategy, at least four parties including the Left dropped out of a protest that had been planned for today culminating in a meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee.
