Demonetisation: Kejriwal says PM Modi using his mother for politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his nonagenarian mother for politics by letting her stand in queue to exchange old currency, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, Kejriwal said Modi didn’t do the right thing by letting his 97-year-old mother Hiraben Modi stand in queue at a local bank in Gandhinagar – images of which were beamed live on national television.

“If there was a need to stand in line, I would stand myself, not my mother.”

मोदीजी ने राजनीति के लिए माँ को लाइन में लगा ठीक नहीं किया। कभी लाइन में लगना हो तो मैं ख़ुद लाइन में लगूँगा, माँ को लाइन में नहीं लगाउँगा pic.twitter.com/wEO1TYATO7

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 15, 2016

Kejriwal and Modi have a bitter history of confrontation and the Delhi CM has often blamed the prime minister for not letting the city government work. He has also called Modi a coward in the past.

Earlier in the day, Hiraben – lives with Modi’s younger brother Pankaj -- came to a branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce at Raisan village to get banknotes worth Rs 4,500 exchanged.

She was one of millions of similar consumers who lined up outside banks and ATMs to get cash following a surprise recall of high-value currency by Modi last Tuesday.

Agencies reported that Hiraben came to the bank with Rs 500 notes, got the mandatory form filled, put her thumb impression on the form and exchanged her money.

After receiving a new note of Rs 2,000, she also displayed it in front of the mediapersons.

Hitting out at Modi, Kejriwal accused that the Prime Minister’s rich friends were not facing problems in exchanging notes. “PM is not acting against people named in Panama List as many are his friends,” Kejriwal said during the Delhi assembly.

“PM’s war is against the country’s poor and not against black money. The Centre waived Rs 1.14 lakh crore loan of industrialists, but are threatening people if they deposit more than 2.5 lakh in account,” the Delhi chief minister further raged.

There was some commotion during the proceedings as leader of opposition, Vijender Gupta, objected to Kejriwal raising Modi’s name. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered marshals to escort Gupta out of the assembly.

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First Published: Nov 15, 2016 16:27 IST