Apologise for loss of jobs: Cong to Modi
New Delhi: As ruling party were busy in celebrating the second anniversary of demonetisation, the Congress orchestrated a blistering attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked the PM to apologise to the people of the country for the loss of jobs and setback to the economy due to the decision to demonetise high-value notes in November 2016.
In a tweet, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that it was a 'cruel conspiracy' under which black money of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'suit-boot buddies' was converted into white. Gandhi also said that in this 'scandal' everything was thoughtfully done and apart from this some other meaning of note ban was an insult to the understanding of the country.
Condemning the note-ban decision of the government, the Congress president said, "Demonetisation was a tragedy. India has faced many tragedies in its past as external enemies tried to hurt us, but demonetisation is a unique one in the history of tragedies as it was a self-inflicted, suicidal attack that destroyed millions of lives and ruined thousands of India's small businesses."
"Modi's demonetisation cost India over one and a half million jobs and wiped out at least one per cent from our GDP," Gandhi said, adding that on the second anniversary of the PM's 'monumental blunder', the government's spin-doctors, including our 'incompetent' Finance Minister, have the unenviable task of defending and indefensible, criminal policy.
Recalling the November 14 speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he had announced that he was ready to appear in any corner of the country to receive punishment if any faults appear in his intentions, deputy leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma asked, "Has he accepted any chauraha (corner) to receive the punishment?"
Sharma further alleged that Modi was guilty of breaking the confidence of people in savings, in the banking system and in the economic institutions of the country. "This decision did not only wreck the economy, it took away millions of jobs from the people," he said.
The government data itself reflected a loss of 1.5 million jobs in the organised sector, but the situation is worse in the unorganised sector, he added.
The Congress leader further said 92.8 per cent of the allocated funds for various departments have already been used by August 31. "It is now impossible to cross October-November," he claimed. Calling the PM a "megalomaniac", the former Commerce Minister asked: "What is the economic wisdom behind this reckless decision and how can this be justified?"
