'BJP sent wrong message to masses by banning Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes': Mamata Banerjee on demonetisation

Kolkata: Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation of high value currency notes, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said, “BJP has sent a wrong message” to the people and the party would “suffer big loss” in upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls. “They will suffer a big loss. A wrong message has gone to the people. It won’t be able to control the damage,” she told reporters here when asked about how will demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes will play out for the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh polls. She said when people decide to retaliate, political parties can’t win elections by money, she said. Mocking the prime minister, she said Narendra Modi “has gone to Japan after making the people poor in India”. Prime Minister Modi today embarked on a three-day visit to Japan. [caption id=“attachment_3099734” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.[/caption] “They had promised to return black money from abroad. They couldn’t do it and has turned common people beggars. Who gave them this right?,” Mamata said at the state secretariat. Saying that India is now going through a phase of “financial anarchy”, she pointed out how even her own household was suffering as she had to live on ‘muri’ and “aalu bhaja” (puffed rice and potato fry) for dinner tonight. “I don’t buy things from government money. I buy it by my own money,” she said. Raising the issue of tea garden workers in West Bengal and Assam, she said the tea estate owners have written to the government about their problems. “I have asked the chief secretary to look into the matter. If they don’t get wages and they die of starvation then I will not leave them (Centre),” she said. The Chief Minister said only a few businessmen and rich people have not been affected by the sudden move of the Modi government while the poor and middle class are the worst affected. She said the government should have ensured supply of enough currency notes across all banks before withdrawing old ones. “Can you go to a nursing home with Rs 2000?,” the Trinamool supremo asked adding that at many Gram Panchayats there are no bank branches and ATMs while post offices are mere signboards. She pointed out that at many places banks are short of manpower, which will limit their ability to handle the huge pressure and wondered where the working class have the time to stand in queues at banks. She said someone had to bell the cat and she “did it”. Questions would be raised in Parliament, she warned, and said all was done without planning. Even BJP members are not happy about this in private, she claimed.