"Anti-Dalit" BJP has created emergency-like situation with currency ban: Mayawati

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Nov. 10 (ANI): Lambasting the Centre's move to ban 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes as part of efforts to crackdown on black money and terror financing, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Thursday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA regime has created an emergency-like situation in the country. Dubbing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision of currency denomination as a 'selfish' act, the BSP chief asked as to why the government didn't take this step in the first two years of its rule. "The Prime Minister's decision is a bit selfish. If they really wanted to curb black money then why they took this decision after two years? To hide their inefficiency, economic emergency like situations have been created by the government as elections in Uttar Pradesh are coming close," she added. Asserting that the government is trying to deviate the attention from its failures, Mayawati further stated that only the people from Gujarat and Mumbai are benefited from this initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi. "The government is trying to deviate the attention from its failures. All citizens want a corruption-free India. The Bharatiya Janata Party is repeating what the Congress did in the past. The BJP Government has created an emergency situation in the country," she added. Asserting that 90 percent of the people are not happy with this ban, Mayawati said that the NDA has in the two-and-a-half years of its governance tried to benefit the big businessmen and tycoons. "The Central Government does not like Dalits. The people are facing problems at medical stores as they are not accepting the old currency notes. Soon after the announcement of note ban, the people were forced to shut down their shops. The people are badly affected by it," she added. Backing the government's decision, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das earlier today said that there was a need to revive the currency as the value of rupee has depreciated after 2001, adding notes of Rs. 1,000 will be introduced in due course. Throwing light on the other logical reasons behind the government deciding to infuse the new currency, Das said: "Firstly, the logistical reason behind the very decision was to make it convenient for the citizens to exchange or deposit the old notes and get the value out of the new notes." "Secondly, it was in the year 2000-2001 when the Rs. 1,000 notes were introduced. Now, after 15 years there was a need to revive the currency as the value of rupee has depreciated," he added. Das further said the RBI is going to closely monitor and regulate the release of Rs. 2000 note, adding the central bank will in due course infuse notes of Rs. 1000 in the market with a new design, dimension and color combination, which will look different from the old ones. The Economic Affairs Secretary further said all denomination of notes will be reintroduced with new design and new features in the coming months. (ANI)