AMN / NEW DELHI
Delhi government today passed a resolution urging President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Central government to withdraw demonetization scheme in an emergency session of the Delhi assembly, convened to discuss the situation arising out of the issue.
Speaking at the Delhi Assembly, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticized the way Centre has chosen to demonetize the currency.
While addressing the Delhi Assembly’s one-day session on Tuesday, Kejriwal said: “On 15 October 2013, the income tax department conducted raid on Shubendu Amitabh’s house. He was an executive of Aditya Birla Group. His Blackberry phones, laptop everything was thoroughly checked. They found a ledger entry in his laptop stating that on 16 November 2012, the Gujarat chief minister was paid Rs.25 crore…For the first time in history of independent India, a sitting PM’s name has come in black money transactions.”
“This raid happened in 2013. The Congress was in power. But they should have initiated action, given that Narendra Modi was projected as Prime Minister’ face for BJP. Then it means that the BJP and Congress had deals between them. They must have thought that once Narendra Modi becomes the PM, he will help them in the Robert Vadra case,” Kejriwal said.
“He has been claiming that the decision is an attack on black money, but it is an attack on common people. He is protecting his friends. These businessmen pay Prime Minister Modi and in response the Prime Minister ensures that the income tax department does not conduct raids on these businessmen’s house,” Kejriwal said.
He claimed that when the Income Tax Department filed an appraisal report on deal, the UPA regime did not take action against Modi.
“You (Prime Minister Modi) say that the poor man is drinking ‘kadvi chai’. But the truth is that, the Prime Minister is offering poison to them in the name of black money,” Kejriwal said, accusing Modi of targeting the poor through his drive to withdraw high-currency notes while protecting his “corporate friends”.
“We would urge the government to roll back this scheme. We are not against black money. If they want to implement, then give proper time to people. Plan it properly, we will support you. If they do not roll back immediately then this economy will be in peril,” Kejriwal said.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi Government passed a resolution asking President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the central government to withdraw the “draconian” demonitisation drive.
“This assembly resolves to urge upon the Honourable President of India to take necessary steps to institute a high-level probe to be monitored by the Honourable Supreme Court of India to look into the allegations that the scheme is fraud on the nation and that it has been launched to benefit a particular political party through its agents in black money,” the resolution stated.