PM Narendra Modi laughing at a comment in Rajya Sabha during a debate on the notes ban
Highlights
- In latest barb on notes ban, Lalu Yadav calls PM Modi "Uncle Podger"
- He likens PM to character known to make huge mess of simplest of projects
- Opposition parties have roundly attacked PM on the big currency ban
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is accused of role-playing "Uncle Podger" from the Jerome K Jerome classic 'Three Men in A Boat' in Bihar politician Lalu Yadav's latest barb on the notes ban.
In a series of tweets, Mr Yadav compares the Prime Minister to the character known to make a huge mess of the simplest of projects and blame everyone else for it.
Mr Yadav quips: "PM Modi is role-playing Uncle Podger and that is why he is bent on troubling the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), finance ministry, government, public, BJP and farmers."
Opposition parties have roundly attacked PM Modi on the abrupt ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes earlier this month, which, they say, has left millions facing a cash crunch, and farmers deep in crisis at a time they need to buy seeds for the winter sowing.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister was in parliament when his predecessor Manmohan Singh labelled the decision "a monumental management failure".
Speaking at a function this morning, PM Modi took a swipe at critics, saying that "those criticising demonetization don't have problem with the government's preparedness - their problem is they didn't get time to prepare." He added: "We must rise above politics for social welfare."