Mamata pens poem lashing out at withdrawal of old notes

 Expressing her solidarity with thousands of those affected by the “hasty and arbitrary decision” of the Centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a poem.

It was she who first reacted shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes and said that this would create chaos all over the country and common people would be at the receiving end.

Banerjee’s prediction has come true. Throughout the country, lakhs of common people were seen standing in long queues trying desperately to exchange their notes.

Scuffle among customers over jumping of the queues, fights between them and 

bank employees and shutting down of ATMs due to non-availability of new currency notes was reported throughout the state.

In this backdrop, she writes that intolerance and autocracy have tarnished the image of “rajdharma”.

Without naming Modi, the poetry lashes out at him and his effort to shield his close aides.

The earning of common people has been termed as black money while those in the helm of affairs have come out clean.

The hasty and unplanned decisions have “broken” the hearts of common people. She questioned how the autocrats can hide their shame by punishing common people.

She maintained that people were criticising him for shielding the “sinners”.

Banerjee remarked that those who have been “put under stress” will turn their back by offering you “three talaq”.

Meanwhile, the finance department has opened a help desk in Nabanna on Friday from where the state government employees have exchanged Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with lower denominations.

An employee can exchange maximum Rs 1,500 and at present, an employee can exchange money only once. Thousands of employees were benefitted by the initiative taken by the state finance department.

It is learnt that the step has been taken following the direction of the Chief Minister.

Sources in the state finance department said that help desks may also be opened in other state government offices as well.