Janjivan Bureau
Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday charged some opposition leaders of having “lost their balance” in hitting out at him post demonetisation.
Speaking at a function on the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) campus during his first visit to his constituency after the November 8 demonetisation, Modi targeted former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and former finance minister P Chidambaram for presenting a “favourable report card” of their own tenure while hitting out at him.
Describing Manmohan as the country’s leading economist who had been a former finance minister and a member of the country’s core economic team advising the government since 1970, Modi said that while criticising him for promoting a cashless economy Singh had said that it would not work in a country with 50 per cent people still poor. “Is he giving a report card of his own performance or mine?” asked Modi.
Similarly, he hit out at Chidambaram for reportedly claiming that 50 per cent of Indian villages were still without power. “Did I remove the electric poles or snap the wires after I assumed power?” he quipped.
Referring to Rahul as a ‘yuva neta” who is learning to make speeches, Modi said he had charged him with promoting cashless economy when so many people were illiterate.
“Do I have a magic wand through which I made educated people illiterate?” asked Modi, adding that he was happy that these leaders had inadvertently presented the report card of their own government’s performance while attacking him.
Defending demonetisation, Modi said when a huge pile of garbage was cleaned it raised a huge stink which was not experienced as long it was left untouched.
According to Modi, he believed that he had fully prepared for demonetisation but had clearly not calculated the opposition leaders joining hands to protect the corrupt as was visible in Parliament.
He claimed that his decision had exposed the “kala dhan aur kala maan” (black money and dark intentions) out of which the country would emerge cleansed and bright like polished gold.
