PM Narendra Modi had addressed the Bharaich rally on phone after his chopper failed to land.
Highlights
- Ready for debate, but not being allowed to present viewpoint: PM
- PM addressed rally on phone after his chopper failed to land
- His comments came 3 days before winter session of Parliament ends
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke of the currency ban and its fallout, alleging that the opposition has not allowed parliament to function in its aftermath.
Speaking at a rally in Bahraich of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, he said, "You must have noticed how parliament is not being allowed to function. Those rejected by the people are disrupting the proceedings of the parliament... We say we are ready for a debate but we are not being allowed to present our viewpoint. "
The people, he said, must have noticed that the government was cracking down on corruption. "Every day bundles of notes are being seized. Big people are being arrested. This is a government of the poor and works for the poor," he said.
Calling the note ban "a fight of the honest vs the dishonest", he said the "dishonest will not be spared".
The Prime Minister had addressed the rally on phone after his chopper failed to land in Bahraich due to bad weather.
His comments came three days before the winter session of Parliament is scheduled to end. The session where many pending issues had to be discussed, including the government's flagship Goods and Services Tax, had remained gridlocked due to the opposition's demands regarding the debate on notes ban.
The opposition, which initially wanted PM Modi to attend and respond to the debate, has now demanded that he apologize for and explain the sudden ban on high denomination currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000, which has created a huge cash crunch in the country.
While the demand has been spearheaded by Congress, PM Modi today also took on the ruling Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh and the opposition Bahujan Samaj Party, saying despite their disagreement on every issue, "this is the first time they are speaking in the same voice ".
"I cannot understand what problem the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have because of our fight against black money. The country knows, so I do to want to say too much," he added.