The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader dubbed the government’s November 8 demonetisation move as the “biggest scam, worth Rs8 lakh crore.”
He said Prime Minister Narenda Modi was “not serious about curbing black money. His intention is not good. This decision is to create black money.”
The AAP chief also alleged that the State Bank of India has waived off Rs60bn loans sanctioned to 63 industrialists within the last three days.
“Vijay Mallya was one of these capitalists whose loan worth Rs1,200 crore was waived off by the State Bank of India,” Kejriwal alleged.
He said that Rs8tn loan was sanctioned to big corporate houses run by these capitalists. He alleged that the corporate houses siphoned off the money or it was partly written off by banks.
“This demonetisation is a conspiracy. The government expects to net Rs10-11 lakh crore rupees by asking people to surrender the spiked currency and write off the bad debts,” Kejriwal said.
On November 17, Kejriwal and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned of a public revolt if the decision was not reversed in three days.
She repeated the threat yesterday saying a protest movement would be launched from tomorrow.
Banerjee, however, refused to spell out the exact form of her movement, saying she would comment only tomorrow evening, after the expiry of the deadline.
“I will speak the language of the people. After 72 hours, we will hit the streets and launch a movement,” she said in Kolkata.
“But credibility is all I have. I have given them 72 hours. I have to wait. After that I will discuss the matter with some political parties. Then we will let you know on Monday evening,” she said.
Banerjee accused the Modi government of using its agencies to stifle the voices of protest over the demonetisation.
“If anybody wants to protest, they use their agencies. But we don’t care about any agency,” she said.
She met President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to seek his intervention to alleviate the public suffering.
Besides AAP, leaders of Shiv Sena and the National Conference had also joined her march to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Asked whether other parties would join her proposed protest movement, Banerjee said she could only speak for the Trinamool.
“What other political parties will do is up to them. I think everybody should protest. I have already appealed to all opposition parties to work together.
“I don’t want any electoral politics now. Because, firstly, we have to save democracy, the Constitution, the country and the people. People constitute political parties, and not the other way round. So, firstly, we need to save the country from the economic instability. Then I will think about politics.”
The Trinamool supremo dubbed the Modi government as anti-poor and anti-people, and said developmental projects had come to a halt for want of money after the government cancelled the high denomination notes.
She said the whole of rural India was in tears. “Farmers cannot buy seed, or grow crops, or procure paddy. The 100-day work (under MGNREGA scheme) has stopped. People cannot draw their pensions. Where will these people go? What will people eat?” she asked.
