Shatrughan Sinha slams Narendra Modi govt for note ban, PNB scam and bad loans

Patna: Disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Monday attacked the Narendra Modi government over issues such as demonetisation, the PNB scam and the escape of its key accused to foreign countries. [caption id=“attachment_4207209” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha. AFP[/caption] The Patna Sahib MP, who has been critical of his party as well as the government at the Centre for some time, also took a jibe at the prime minister’s “pakoda” remark and borrowers defaulting on huge loans. “The government made sure that every poor and middle class Indian stood in long queues, went to the bank, deposited money and gave details of their ‘janam kundli’. It also made sure that the poor Indians’ money was safely transported abroad,” the actor-turned-politician tweeted. The remarks were an obvious reference to the ban on old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes imposed in November 2016, through which the Modi government claimed to have brought the circulation of black money under control. The tweet was also critical of the Centre for its inability to capture Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, key accused in the Rs 12,000 crore PNB fraud case, who have reportedly fled the country. In another tweet, Sinha, who is also a member of the BJP national executive, said “The rate at which big businesses are shutting or fleeing, only the honest pakoda sellers will be left behind. Advice: Never take small loans. Always take thousands of crores.” That way a lot of powerful people would protect the loan taker, he sarcastically said. Sinha has been taking digs at Modi’s recent statement wherein he had said a man selling pakodas for a living should be considered employed.