Tearing into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today said it was a "gimmick" to divert people's attention from real problems.
"The Prime Minister has announced that abolition of the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 would check corruption, control black money, fake notes and transactions of money by the terrorists. This is nothing but a gimmick or stunt to divert the attention of people of the country from real problems," the Marxist leader told reporters here.
Those who deal in black money do not keep the notes in their own houses, so demonetisation of the notes would not yield any result.
"Terrorists transact money through banks so banning of the notes will not help in controlling them. This measure will also not help solving the menace of counterfeit currency, because after a few days the new notes would be faked," he said.
He alleged that at least Rs 11,000 crore was taken as loans from different banks by some capitalists and industrialists but they did not return the money and the government led by Modi was trying to save the borrowers.
"Is it not corruption? Why did the government not take appropriate actions against them (borrowers) and why did the government not publish their names?" he said.
The BJP-led NDA government at Centre in its poll pledge assured that black money deposited in foreign banks would be brought back to the country within 100 days. "But at least 900 days have passed and the government did not even announce the names of those corrupt people who deposited their money in foreign banks," he said.
"The country is facing unemployment problems, suicide of farmers and inflation and failing to solve these problems, he (Modi) is trying to divert people's attention to an issue which is far from reality," Sarkar added.
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