New Delhi, Dec. 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the opposition for disrupting Parliament over the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and said that he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament.
“The government has always said that it is ready for a debate in Parliament. But, I am not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha so I am speaking in the Jan Sabha,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Gujarat’s Banaskantha.
The PM said that happenings in Parliament had even anguished President Pranab Mukherjee.
Defending demonetisation, the PM said that it has empowered poor and will help in eradicating corruption and menace of black money.
“For how long can poor of India be told to pay for houses in cash? For how long will poor be asked - you want Pucca bill or Kuccha bill,” he asked.
“India wants to progress. Corruption and black money is slowing our progress and adversely affecting the poor. These evils have to end,” he said.
“Who is unhappy with corruption? Not those perpetrating corruption...it is the poor, the common citizens who are unhappy. Merely talking about the poor is different from working for the poor, something that the NDA government is always doing,” the PM said in an apparent dig at opposition parties which have claimed that the demonetisaton is affecting poor adversely.
Nobody prevented PM from speaking in Parliament: Cong
The Congress on Saturday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing the opposition parties of not letting him speak in Parliament on the demonetisation issue, saying “nobody has prevented him”.
“He (Modi) changes his own assurances virtually on a daily basis. Even the policy with regard to demonetisation, there have been abrupt U-turns both by the Reserve Bank of India and by the Finance Ministry.
“Nobody has prevented the Prime Minister from speaking (in Parliament). He should not mislead the people. Only thing what Opposition has asked is that he should listen to us, participate and answer our questions because it is he who made this announcement,” senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters here.
His remarks came after Modi said to a large gathering in north Gujarat that “though the government has agreed, the Opposition is not letting me speak in Parliament over the issue (demonetisation)”.
The Congress leader also said that the Prime Minister was in the habit of “peddling untruths” and he did not believe in making honest, sincere and truthful statements.
(Adds from PTI)
