Amid currency shortage and SC hearing, PM calls on Prez

18 November, New Delhi

As nationwide anguish and concern against demonetisation move continue and Parliament remained paralysed over it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

The meeting came also on a day when senior counsel Kapil Sibal, also a prominent Congress leader, told the Supreme Court that the country can have “riots” on the streets if the present chaos and long queues before banks and ATMs continued.

The meeting lasted for more than half-an-hour, sources said, adding that Prime Minister reportedly briefed the President on the developments in the country since the launch of the demonetisation scheme from mid-night of November 8.

The Supreme Court today also declined to stay the hearings in various High Courts and lower courts in connection with the matters related to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.”People are affected and they have the right to approach the courts,” said a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice A R Dave.

Uproarious scenes prevailed in both the Houses of Parliament over the demonetisation issue even as BJP demanded apology from Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for his remarks comparing Uri terror strike with people’s sufferings due to cash crunch.