PM Narendra Modi in his speech said, political leaders should respect feelings of honest citizens.
Highlights
- PM in speech defends notes ban, targets opposition
- Parties should surrender holier-than-thou approach: PM
- PM says parties must reform funding, take part in fight against graft
it was high time for all political parties in India to sit together and discuss ways to bring about transparency in their finances.
"The time has now come that all political parties and leaders respect the feelings of honest citizens and understand their anger," PM Modi said,
addressing the nation on New Year's Eve."I urge all parties and leaders to
move away from their holier than thou approach and take actual steps towards reforming the system and getting rid of black money and corruption," he stressed.
The Prime Minister also sought a debate on holding simultaneous parliamentary and assembly elections and the rising costs of polls.
"The time has come to seriously debate and consider this," he said.
This was
PM Modi's second address to the nation since he announced the notes ban on November 8, pitched as a big step towards ending corruption and black or undeclared money.
The developments after the announcement, PM Modi said, "have shown Indians were desperate to be free of corruption."
The corrupt, he said, will not be spared.He also thanked citizens for making sacrifices and bearing with the "pain" of standing in line for their own money assured that better days are ahead.
"Citizens displayed such patience, had Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jayprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia been alive, they would have blessed them," he said.
PM Modi has been attacked by opposition parties like the Congress and the Trinamool Congress for the cash crunch faced by people after the government banned the two highest currency notes without warning.