Demonetisation good or bad? BJP leaders need to make up their mind, says Shiv Sena

The party, in its mouthpiece Saamana, thanked surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari for admitting that the poor were “hit hard” by demonetisation

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming its two leaders gave contradictory opinion on demonetisation.

The party, in its mouthpiece Saamana, thanked surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari for admitting that the poor were “hit hard” by demonetisation (File)

The party, in its mouthpiece Saamana, thanked transport minister Nitin Gadkari for admitting that the poor were “hit hard” by demonetisation. “Union minister Nitin Gadkari admitted that common man has suffered because of demonetisation. We take Gadkari’s words seriously because he is known for being straight-forward. But another senior leader Arun Jaitley has put forth a contradictory view,” the editorial said.

The Sena said BJP spokesperson should clarify whose opinion should be taken into account.

Gadkari on Monday said the poor “faced a hard time after demonetisation”, adding that people “were happy to see the rich having a tough time because of their black money getting flushed out“.

Critical of demonetisation, the Sena claimed the move has led to job cuts and impacted the economy adversely. The editorial alleged it was a conspiracy to convert black money into white, and help the rich get richer.

The editorial said that former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan was compelled to step down for opposing the decision. “Rajan was called greedy and incompetent, but the same man has been nominated for a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the field of Economics,” the editorial said.