Do we set our house on fire to kill 2 mice, says Raj Thackeray

Criticising the Narendra Modi government for the shoddy execution of its decision to demonetise the old Rs500 and Rs1,000 banknotes, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday asked the government: “Do we set our house on fire if we find two mice in it?”

Criticising the Narendra Modi government for the shoddy execution of its decision to demonetise the old Rs500 and Rs1,000 banknotes, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday asked the government: “Do we set our house on fire if we find two mice in it?”

The MNS chief said the currency demonetisation move may lead to anarchy and unemployment and the government failed to anticipate the fallout. (Hindustan Times)

He said the currency demonetisation move may lead to anarchy and unemployment and the government failed to anticipate the fallout. “Nobody is telling us how demonetisation will make our future better,”he said.

Thackeray questioned the intentions of the Modi government, asking why common people were forced to stand in long queues while income-tax raids were not conducted directly on alleged black-money holders. “Why is only the common man standing in queues dying and not any of the black-money holders,”he asked.

While addressing a party meeting in Mumbai, Thackeray also criticised the central government for not making adequate preparations to ensure a smooth transition to the new notes.

“The currency in circulation in our country is around Rs16-17 lakh crore. Of this, the amount of fake or counterfeit currency is Rs400-500 crore. For this amount, you (Narendra Modi) have scrapped so many notes. Do we set our house on fire if we find two mice in it?” Thackeray said.

Thackeray said the cash crisis may last more than 50 days, which is the deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for normalcy, as the recalibration of ATM machines itself will need another 3 to 4 weeks.

“Going by the current scenario, I am afraid the situation may go out of hand in the coming days. This may lead to anarchy and unemployment as factory owners will resort to lay-offs,” he said, urging people to pray to God to help the country overcome the turmoil.

The MNS chief said that if the Prime Minister was so concerned about black money, why didn’t he [Narendra Modi] decide to conduct raids in a day on all its holders as the government knows who all have black money.

State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said attacking PM Modi is the only way to remain in the news for some people and Thackeray is doing the same. “My question is where was he [Raj Thackeray] for the past 10 days? Was he sleeping? Or is he just beginning to understand the issue now?” Bhandari said.