Derek trains gun on BJP as former CEA agrees with CM on note ban being 'draconian'

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress once again attacked the BJP government for note ban, with the former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian resonating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that demonetisation was a "draconian" decision.

In a Facebook live stream, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said: "In his book Of Counsel, the former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian has stated that demonetisation was draconian and a massive shock for the Indian economy. This is not being said by the spokesperson of any political party, but by the BJP government's former Chief Economic Advisor."

Interesting is the use of the word "draconian", said O'Brien, maintaining that "It was none other than Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had tweeted within an hour of the announcement of demonetisation on November 8 in 2016, terming the move as draconian."

He said that there was a series of seven tweets from the Chief Minister and she had raised her demand to "Withdraw the draconian decision". "Many people, including experts on macro economy, had criticised the same. But Banerjee was the first to raise her voice," said the Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP, after attacking the Modi government for the "historic blunder" and the "scam announcement".

Recollecting the fight of Trinamool Congress against the announcement of demonetisation, Derek O'Brien said: "Just about a week after demonetisation was announced, there was a plan to march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan. My colleagues in Trinamool Congress, with 34 MPs in Lok Sabha and 13 MPs in Rajya Sabha, were protesting. Then Trinamool Congress and its chairperson Mamata Banerjee decided to march from the Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan, to submit a memorandum to Rashtrapatiji. From November 15 till the end of the month, Trinamool Congress was trying to convince the Opposition parties that the faster we march to Rashtrapati Bhavan the better, as demonetisation is draconian. Banerjee had decided not to wait for the Parliament to end and on December 9, Trinamool Congress, in full force with 34 Lok Sabha MPs and 13 Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Banerjee along with Shiv Sena including its sitting ministers, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and representatives sent by Hardik Patel, marched to the Rashtrapati Bhavan," he said, adding that obviously there are ideological differences on many issues with Shiv Sena, but "we were on the same pitch over the issue of demonetisation."