How introducing Rs 2000 notes will curb corruption, black money, Kejriwal questions Modi

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demonetizing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and insisted this won't check corruption or black money. The AAP leader, in a video posted on party's Facebook page, said the problems of black money and corruption would not go away by Modi's surprise decision on Tuesday spiking the existing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. He said he had spoken to experts and no one had been able to explain how black money could be fought by axing Rs 1,000 notes and introducing Rs 2,000 notes in their place. How are you going to curb black money when you are allowing people to have bigger currency notes to carry out illegal transactions, Kejriwal questioned Modi. Kejriwal said the move of demonetization will not aid the battle against black money but will create problems the common people. "There is chaos all around the country as people were mobbing banks to exchange or deposit their old currency," the AAP leader said. "Do you find black marketers in the queues? Or rich people? Those in the queues are traders, rickshaw pullers, autorickshaw drivers, farmers, workers. Are these the people with black money?" Kejriwal said the introduction of 2,000 rupee notes would only make life convenient to both bribe givers and takers. "Those who earlier took 100 notes of Rs 1,000 notes will now carry only 50 notes of 2,000 value." "This government does not want to catch big defaulters and people who have black money in their Swiss accounts but only wants to trouble the common man." The AAP chief alleged that BJP's "friends" knew about the development in advance and had managed to send their money abroad or bought land or gold with the previous currency. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had also made "arrangements" in view of the coming Uttar Pradesh elections. "The sufferers are the ordinary people." Kejriwal pointed out that the spiking had led to "black marketing" of the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, with the former getting exchanged for Rs 400 and the latter for Rs 800 in black market due to people's desperation. "If a Rikhshaw-puller or a daily wage laborer has saved Rs. 4-5 lakh after working for years for getting his sister or daughter married, you would impose tax and 200 percent penalty on his hard-earned money while let go the people who have black money in Swiss banks? God will not forgive you," he said. (With inputs from IANS)