Congress puts party above nation: PM Narendra Modi defends demonetisation | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Congress puts party above nation: PM Narendra Modi defends demonetisation

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Dec 16, 2016 04:19 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress and Left parties on Friday for opposing his government’s move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes move, dubbing it as a war against black money.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress and Left parties on Friday for opposing his government’s move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes move, dubbing it as a war against black money.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary party meeting discussed the strategy to counter the Opposition’s charges against the government on Friday.(Arun Sharma/HT Photo)
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary party meeting discussed the strategy to counter the Opposition’s charges against the government on Friday.(Arun Sharma/HT Photo)

“For the BJP and the NDA, the country is bigger than party. For the Congress, party is more important than the country,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar quoted Modi as saying.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Asking the BJP’s MPs to go cashless, Modi pointed out how in 2012, the Supreme Court asked the UPA government to constitute a special investigating team on black money, but it did nothing for the next three years.

Read: Read my lips… I’ve information on PM Modi’s corruption: Rahul Gandhi

“They did nothing. But our first decision after coming to power was to form an SIT,” Kumar quoted Modi as saying at the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting on the last day of the winter session of Parliament.

“Left MP Jyotirmay Basu had once favoured demonetisation. But today, see what the communists are doing,” Modi said, taking potshots at the CPI(M), a vocal critic of demonetisation.

Parliament logjam

The winter session of Parliament, which began on November 16, is headed for a whitewash as the Opposition and government continue to lock horns over the November 8 demonetisation move.

Both parties have been claiming that it’s the other side that is not allowing a debate in Parliament.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress leaders gave a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand relief for debt-ridden farmers.

The demonetisation move triggered a washout of Parliament’s winter session, making it the worst performing session for the BJP.

Read: Drive against black money, corruption high on my agenda: PM Modi

Modi underlined that the BJP and its NDA partners have started a “war” against the black money, while the Opposition parties are standing on the opposite side of this war.

Modi’s address to party MPs comes on a day when Opposition leaders will go to President Pranab Mukherjee to protest against demonetisation and the government’s alleged high-handedness in running Parliament.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who earlier levelled corruption charges against Modi, also met him as part of a delegation to highlight farmers’ plight in Uttar Pradesh.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On