New Delhi: Several opposition parties yesterday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation woes of the common man, asking him to own responsibility for the chaos and demanding his resignation if the cash crunch persisted even after the 50-day deadline.
While Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi held Modi responsible for the continuing hardships of the common people, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said he will have to resign if the cash crunch woes continued even after the December 30 deadline he himself set.
Banerjee said the demonetisation decision was "illegal and unconstitutional" and that the Indian economy had been set 20 years back in these nearly 50 days.
Modi will have to resign if the chaos continues beyond December 30, she said. Both leaders addressed a joint press conference at the Constitution Club here, along with leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Janata Dal-Secular, Indian Union Muslim League and All India United Democratic Front.
Several important partners in the anti-demonetisation campaign -- Janata Dal-United, the Left parties, Nationalist Congress Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party -- were, however, conspicuous by their absence.
Calling the November 8 note ban the "biggest scam after Independence", Banerjee asked if Modi will resign at the end of 50 days if the cash situation did not improve.
"Modi ji, you asked for 50 days; people were losing their livlihood, dying due to starvation but yet they gave you that time. Now 47 days are over and only three days are left," the Chief Minister said.
"We will wait for the next three days. But Modi ji, if things remain unsolved, will you take responsibility and resign as the Prime Minister?" she asked.
Rahul Gandhi said Modi should accept responsibility since the latter's assurance of normalcy after 50 days seems to be failing and people are still facing hardships due to cash crunch.
"December 30 is near, but the situation is still the same. The Prime Minister needs to answer who is responsible for the people's hardships... It is the Prime Minister who is responsible," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said demonitasation had failed to reduce corruption and arrest black money laundering, and was instead an attack on the country's poor.
"Demonetisation has had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged -- to convert black money into white," Gandhi said.
Countering the government's stance that demonetisation will curb terror funding, Gandhi said 2,000-rupee notes were found in possession of terrorists killed days after the November 8 scrapping of old Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes. He asked Modi to tell the nation what he dubbed was the "real motive" behind the move.
The West Bengal Chief Minister mocked the cashless economy argument of the Centre.
While an advanced economy like the United States has around 40 per cent cash transactions, he (Modi) talks about cashless economy.
