New Delhi: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday criticised the Centre over “poor implementation” of the demonetisation of high value currency notes and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “blackmailing citizens by getting emotional everytime”.
She also said the government’s move to demonetise Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes was “politically motivated for political gains”.
In a direct attack at Modi, she said: “It is good that the prime minister has left his family for the country, but it doesn’t mean that he will harass the people of the country.”
“And Modiji is getting emotional every time, isn’t it an emotional blackmailing of the common people of the country?” she remarked, referring to Modi’s emotional appeal over demonetisation at a rally in Goa and at a meeting with BJP MPs here.
“Without planning, demonetisation has created a kind of financial emergency situation in the country,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
She also said that demonetisation would not help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. “Instead of gaining anything, they are set to lose,” the BSP supremo said.
She chief also said that the “BJP’s main opponent in Uttar Pradesh was the BSP and not the Congress and Samajwadi Party, which are running on oxygen”.
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are due early next year.
“About 100 people have died across the country due to demonetisation and the government hasn’t given or announced any compensation for such families,” Mayawati said.
The BSP supremo also alleged that the government’s decision of spiking the high value notes was like issuing “dictatorial orders”, which is bad for “democracy”.
Slamming Modi for not addressing Parliament over demonetisation, Mayawati said, “He [Modi] is scared of addressing the opposition leaders over demonetisation in Parliament.”
She also said her party was opposing demonetisation as it has adversely affected the lives of 90 per cent people of the country.
