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Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, Dec 27
Larger opposition missing, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi jointly took on Prime minister Narendra Modi over demonitisation, asking him if he would resign after December 30 as people's inconveniences were unlikely to go down.
Divisions in opposition ranks were visible with JDU, SP, BSP, NCP and Left skipping Tuesday's joint press conference of parties and only Congress TMC, JMM. DMK, JDS, AIUDF, IUML and RJD in attendance.
Gandhi cited local compulsions of parties for their absence adding that he had spoken to all leaders and they were on the same page on the issue of demonitsation being a disaster and the world's biggest arbitrary financial experiment.
While Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of personal corruption asking why he was unwilling to face a probe over his mention in Sahara diaries and Birla raids, Mamata Banerjee dared the Prime Minister to resign once the 50-day deadline he set for ending demonitisation woes ends in three days. She called Modi “Gabbar Singh” and accused him of attempting to threaten dissenting voices.
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"PM is not a magician who will improve everything in three days. Demonitisation is the biggest scam in independent India. You have robbed the poor and snatched food from them. Your deadline is ending. After that people will ask if you will resign, " Banerjee said, calling demonitisation “a super emergency.
Gandhi while seeking PM's personal accountability in the Sahara diaries matter reluctantly joined the demand for
Prime Minister’s resignation after he was prodded to make his stand clear.
Earlier, Gandhi kept asking for Modi's personal probity saying: "PM took the demonitisation decision unilaterally. So he should take responsibility if his stated goals of curbing black money, terror money and counterfeit currency have not been achieved. Who is responsible if things don't improve beyond December 30?"
Gandhi said while later adding that if Prime Minister did not resign for his "corruption ": "We will put pressure on him to resign ".
Mamata Banerjee also said all opposition parties will draft a common minimum programme on demonitisation to take the matter to a logical conclusion in a coordinated manner.
Also read: Congress rallying support against BJP is our victory: Ravi Shankar Prasad
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