PM Modi slams Congress, says demonetisation has been overdue from Nehru's time

Slamming the opposition for criticising the demonetisation move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on 14 November that he would never leave the path of truth and integrity.

He invoked the nation's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 127th birth anniversary to take potshots at the Congress for raising objection to his firm decision.

"This is 'mahayagya'; this is the festival of honesty. I seek your blessings. After Pandit Nehru passed away, many prime ministers came and went but that committee report is still lost in files. Today on Pandit ji's birthday, I pledge to reopen those files, which his party and family Prime Minister's never did. It's my tribute," he said.

The Prime Minister, who has drawn sharp flak from a united opposition post his decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, urged all to support his decision and bless him in his war against black or undeclared money.

"Pandit Nehru, your family and party abuse me, but I am here on 14 November, your birthday, to complete work left undone from your time," Prime Minister Modi said.

"There are some political parties that are worried over currency ban. Those against me are strong people. But I will not be scared of them. I will not leave the path of truth and integrity. Some people never say anything on your face, but behind your back they poke other people to oppose and go against you," he added while addressing a mega rally here.

Escalating his attack on the grand old party, he said that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had during the Emergency in the 1970s turned the entire country into a jail for 19 months only to stay in power.

"Our enemy is printing counterfeit notes across the border. Enemy is flooding our nation with these counterfeit notes. We need to put an end to this," he added.

Prime Minister Modi further said that he changed the notes into just worthless piece of paper in order to stop corruption, adding that the government has got a comprehensive crop insurance scheme for the farmers.

He asserted that he was pained by the inconvenience caused and that is why he was working tirelessly to help them overcome the financial crunch.

"I am saying again just give me 50 days. The bank staff is working for 18 hours a day. This is 'mahayagya', this is the festival of honesty. I seek your blessings (for success of currency ban)," he said.

"Have you heard that people are throwing currency notes in the Ganga. I must warn those people, their sins won't be washed away with all this. Today poor are sleeping peacefully whereas the rich are searching for sleeping pills. There is no dearth of money in India, but we don't know where this money is kept. The troubles people are facing is disturbing me," he added.

The Congress and other opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Modi of introducing an anti-poor scheme by banning Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes in a sudden move last week.

The currency crunch that has followed has left the people standing for hours in queues at banks to draw money, which is being rationed till there are enough replacement notes.

--ANI