November 8: What a coincidence of sorts!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 4: What a coincidence of sorts! The tion, including Assam, is going to observe this November 8, the day when demonetization was announced by Prime Minister rendra Modi in 2016. However, for the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress the day differs as chalk and cheese. While the Opposition Congress is going to observe the day as ‘black day’, the ruling BJP is going to observe it as ‘anti-black money day’.
Talking to newsmen at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati on Saturday, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said: “We’re going to observe the day as a black day, centrally at Guwahati and in all district and sub-divisiol headquarters in the State. A procession will be taken out from Meghdoot Bhawan to Soram HS School in the city where a rally will be held. AICC general secretary and party’s Assam in-charge CP Joshi and other top leaders of the party will address the rally. We’re going to light 150 candles in memory of the 150 people who lost their lives in the aftermath of demonetization in the country. Roadside meetings will also be held on that day in eight spots in Guwahati and elsewhere in the State.” Criticizing the BJP for its move to observe November 8 as ‘anti-black money day’, Bora said: “The Saffron party is actually going to observe black money protection day. The annual reports of RBI and ED say that India had Rs 40 lakh crore black money, and only Rs 4 lakh crore of that was in cash. The remaining amount is assets worth Rs 36 lakh crore. However, demonetization could cover only the cash amount i.e. Rs 4 lakh crore. How come the government turns a blind eye to black assets worth Rs 36 lakh crore?”
“This is not all,” Bora said, and added: “RBI further says that 99 per cent of the banned 500-rupee and 1000-rupee notes were deposited to banks. The 1 per cent banned notes not deposited to banks amounts to Rs 16,000 crore against Rs 21,000 crore spent by the government for demonetization, including minting of new currency notes. The government had to suffer Rs 5,000-crore loss in the demonetization exercise. The exercise was anti-tiol and scandalous. In post-demonetization, our economy has suffered setbacks – GDP comes down by two per cent.”

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