Is govt planning to discontinue Rs 2000 notes, asks TMC MP

Demanding an immediate statement from the government on "the truth behind the cash crunch", he told PTI that "the people have a right to know and you cannot hoodwink them in a democracy."

FILE PIC: AFP.

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi today asked the government to come out with the "real reasons" behind the cash crunch across the country, including whether there are plans to discontinue the Rs 2,000 denomination notes. "I feel that the real reason for the cash crunch is because the government has perhaps decided to discontinue the Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes," Trivedi, who is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, said here. Demanding an immediate statement from the government on "the truth behind the cash crunch", he told PTI that "the people have a right to know and you cannot hoodwink them in a democracy." Asking whether the printing of the Rs 2,000 notes has been stopped, the Lok Sabha member said "the government should not hide facts from the people" and added that he has himself not been getting this high value currency note from the banks over the past few months. Referring to the demonetisation exercise in 2016, Trivedi said the Rs 2,000 denomination notes were brought in then to match the quantum of money that had gone out of circulation due to the scrapping of the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currencies. Several opposition parties had yesterday questioned the cash crunch, with Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking whether there was a financial emergency in the country. In a tweet, she had said "Seeing reports of ATMs running out of cash in several States. Big notes missing. Reminder of #DeMonetisation days. Is there a Financial Emergency going on in the country? #CashCrunch #CashlessATMs."