 "Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (Photo: PTI)")
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday defended the central government’s currency reform move while addressing parliamentarians hailing from the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi.
Defending the move, Jaitley said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision will create history by making white transactions the new norm for the Indian economy.
Opposition parties had questioned Modi’s silence on the issue and demanded that he join the discussion in the Parliament.
Dismissing criticisms being levelled by opposition parties, Jaitley, said that Modi did not pay heed to the opposition’s demand and will address his party and not the parliament. He said it was a historic decision that needed courage and it will be hailed even 20 years from now.
Jaitley assured that government was ready to hold a discussion in Opposition. "The whole country welcomed this step taken to curb black money...We are ready to hold discussion on demonetisation," Jaitley said at a media briefing after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) parliamentary body met.
Also Read
Taking a dig at the opposition which has come down heavily on the Centre for the sudden demonetisation announcement on November 8, Jaitley said there was a new meaning to "normal".
"Some people are saying that even the Finance Minister didn't know of this decision, and then they say the party knew beforehand," Jaitley said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the definition of the 'normal' that had existed for past 70 years," he added.
Parliamentary proceedings have been facing multiple disruptions during the Winter Session as opposition parties, including, Congress, CPI-M, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, BSP and others have joined hands in questioning the move to demonetise old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.
Information and Broadcasting Minister, M Venkaiah Naidu, who spoke after Jaitley, said that political parties have to choose whether they stand by the people of India or black money hoarders.
According to media reports, more than 50 people have died so far while struggling to withdraw cash ever since the November 8 announcement of Modi that said Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were no longer of legal tender.
Jaitley also assured party members that the currently sluggish business transactions will spring back to normalcy soon.
The finance minister also shared that in the upcoming weeks, the government will focus on the agricultural sector.
He also said that the process of remonetisation that has been going on since the past 15 days will also help in bringing back normalcy in the lives of people.
Backing the move further, he said that the policy is a historic step taken by the government to clean the economy and will benefit the nation in the long term.
