Dattatreya slams Chidambaram over note-ban comments

Hyderabad: Condemning the comments of Congress leader P Chidambaram that demonetisation move of the NDA Government generated corruption, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today said the Opposition party is spreading falsehood on the issue. "Seeing through his own glasses Chidambaram, with his myopic vision, and Congress, which is drenched in corruption, are trying to see corruption in every developmental activity, only to misguide people and spread falsehood on the issue," he said in a statement here.

The cash recall exercise had people's acceptance as seen in the results of several elections held since the note ban was announced on November 8, the BJP leader said. "Chidambaram and Congress should realise that all by- elections and local body elections after demonetisation gave full support to the BJP and NDA. It clearly indicates people stood by the Prime Minister’s decision." "Even the President of India said the nation will be benefited by demonetisation," the Minister said.

Saying that queues outside banks and ATMs have disappeared, Dattatreya said only Congress leaders are complaining now. "Now the queues in banks and ATMs have disappeared. Only the Congress people and others like them who encouraged black money all along their lives are complaining against demonetisation." Describing note-ban as a "thoughtless, ill conceived" attempt by the NDA Government, Chidambaram yesterday said here the whole exercise has created more corruption.

"In the very demonetisation exercise, they generated corruption. If 10 per cent of bank officers were dishonest earlier, thanks to demonetisation, 50 per cent of bank officers became dishonest. "So the very exercise generated more corruption not less corruption. So they (the NDA Government) changed the narration to cashless economy now," the former Union Finance Minister has said.