Odisha CM adopting double standard on demonetisation: Pradhan
20 November, Bhubaneswar
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan Sunday slammed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his double standard stand on the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes by Prime Minster Narendra Modi.
Pradhan was speaking at an event organised here to mark the joining of where several leaders, including three former MLAs along with their supporters in the BJP.
Three former MLAs — Rammurty Mutika of Gunupur, Gurucharanarn Tikayat of Dhrmasala and Kumarbar Behera of Bhatli Assembly constitutencies, along with their supporters joined the BJP today.
The Union Minister said demonetisation is the most courageous step taken by the prime minister for the development of the poor, tribals, dalits, women and youths of the country.
But Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after conveying his symbolic support to the initiative taken by the prime minister has been opposing it all along, he said.
Pradhan said in a letter to the prime minister, the chief minister claimed that the farmers in the state would face a lot of problem during paddy procurement if the cooperative banks were not allowed to exchange the scrapped notes and demanded to extend the facilities to the cooperative banks.
The Union Minister said arrangement has been made in the bank for the direct transfer of money for nine lakh farmers.
As many as 66 per cent of the farmers have their accounts in nationalised banks.
Provision has been made to allow the farmers draw Rs 25,000 in a week from the account, he said, adding that there was no link between exchange of notes and the paddy procurement.
Pradhan alleged that by making such a demand the chief minister wanted to convert the black money into white through the party activists employed in cooperative banks.
The Union Minister also questioned the demand of the chief minister to exempt the tribals from showing PAN cards for depositing more than Rs 50,000.
He said there was no restriction on deposit up to Rs 2.5 lakh and remarked “is the chief minister trying to convert the black money of mine mafias in the state into white using the tribals.”