Parties should not do politics over demonetisation: Shahnawaz

Patna: BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain today said parties should not to do politics over demonetisation which was meant to “wipe out and check black money, corruption and terror funding”.

“The prime minister has taken a big and bold step against black money. This (demonetisation) is his surgical strike on black money, corruption, terror funding and hawala transactions. We expected the political parties to welcome the move, but they are playing politics over it,” he told reporters here.

“I can understand the anxiety of those who possess black money, but why are the political parties suffering from an uneasiness or having difficulties with the demonetisation move,” said the BJP national spokesman who was accompanied by the party’s Bihar unit vice-president and MLC, Sanjay Mayukh.

“The aam aadmi (common man) is praising the prime minister’s bold initiative but the political parties, especially the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), are opposing the decision…People are facing some difficulties,” he said.

Hussain condemned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s tweet on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nonagenarian mother queueing up at a bank in Gujarat to exchange the demonetised currency notes saying, “Kejriwal is lowering the standard of public life.”

Political parties, he said, should cooperate with the prime minister on the issue of black money, adding that those opposing demonetisation today will have to support the government’s decision under “public pressure” later as they had to do as regards the army’s surgical strikes in PoK.

“At that time, the political parties had initially questioned the surgical strikes but later, stopped due to people’s pressure,” the BJP leader said.

Replying to a query, Hussain said he expected RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to also praise the demonetisation move.

PTI