Long Queues, Defunct ATMs; Congress Attacks PM Modi Over Demonetisation

New Delhi: The demonetisation move has brought financial chaos and anarchy in the country, the Congress alleged on Friday and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to who gave him the right to limit the withdrawal of taxpayers hard-earned money.

Hitting out at the government over the move that has made the common man stand in long queues for hours to get his money exchanged, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that the Prime Minister should understand ground realities "before the situation goes out of control".

He also demanded that government makes public all NPAs and banks declare the list of big loan defaulters of over Rs 500 crore. He also sought making public the names of industrialists whose loans worth Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore have been rescheduled during the Modi regime.

The issue will be raised prominently by the opposition, including Congress, in winter session of Parliament commencing next week, he said when asked of TMC leader Mamata Banerjee's reported plea for all opposition parties to come together on the issue.

"The Government should take stock of the situation before it goes out of control. This is a Government which is insensitive, a Government which is arrogant, which has created a myth and carried away by its own propaganda.

"They have created a financial chaos and anarchy like situation in India," he said.

Sharma also questioned BJP chief Amit Shah for doing propaganda on the move as his party had opposed it in 2014 when in opposition.

"Is this hypocrisy? When UPA was in power, BJP opposed organised withdrawal of currency. Has Shri Amit Shah forgotten his own parties words?," he also asked the BJP chief whose party raised strong objections to the move to demonetise currency during UPA.

"Does the BJP have courage in its convictions to comment on their statement from two years ago? Or did they support Black Money then?," he asked, releasing a copy of BJP's press statement of February 2014.

The Congress leader also questioned Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over claims of counterfeit currency and quoted a reply by him in Parliament where he has stated that only 0.02 per cent of the total currency is fake.

"In August 2016, the Finance Minister said in Parliament that the counterfeit currency in circulation was only 0.02 per cent of the total currency.