Demonetisation anniversary: BJP says note ban broke terror backbone, curbed stone-pelting

New Delhi: Observing 8 November as “anti-black money day”, the BJP on Wednesday said the scrapping of high value currency notes a year ago was a “historic” move that “broke the backbone” of terrorism and Maoist violence and led to “significant decline” in stone-pelting protests in Jammu and Kashmir. [caption id=“attachment_4199579” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] The ruling party held a march in central Delhi led by state President Manoj Tiwari to celebrate the “achievements” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November 8, 2016, decision to spike old Rs 1,000 and 500 currency notes. Some 300 BJP supporters carrying placards and banners of Modi and the BJP participated in the march that began from Le Meridien Hotel and ended at the Connaught Place business hub. Tiwari took a dig at the Congress which is observing the day as “Black Day” because the move caused hardships to small traders, farmers and common man and also led to a decline in India’s GDP growth. “The Congress is observing it as a black day because the party is rooted deep in corruption and anything that combats graft doesn’t suit them,” the BJP leader said. He said that when the Congress was in power, the government did nothing to curb corruption and black money in the country. “But when Modi became Prime Minister, the BJP intensified its war against corruption and black money. Today, the nation stands with Modi, supports his every move against black money, corruption and terrorism. “What can be more shameful to the Congress than opposing any move against the menaces,” he asked. Enumerating the achievements of the note ban move, Tiwari said: “There has been a marked decline in the number of terrorist and Maoist incidents in the country. Stone-pelting protests in Jammu and Kashmir have declined to one-fourth (of what was reported earlier),” Tiwari said.