The Punjab Congress on Friday scaled up its anti-demonetisation drive in line with the all India campaign launched by the Indian National Congress, demanding immediate steps by the Modi government to rectify the situation triggered by the note-bandi.Addressing mediapersons here, Congress leader and former Union Minister of State for Finance J.D Seelam said the party was submitting memorandum to all DCs in the state, seeking the truth on the demonetisation move and its impact on the people. The memorandum against `Corruption & Demonetisation’, which has already been submitted to the prime minister, demands the conduct of an independent inquiry into the corruption and bribery allegations in the Birla and Sahara papers cases. It also demands compensation for recouping the losses suffered due to demonetisation.Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the people by projecting the drive as a battle against black money, terror financing and corruption, Seelam said the Congress wanted to know from him how much black money had come into the banks as a result of demonetisation.
Pointing out that former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s description of demonetisation as `organized loot and plunder’ had come true, Seelam said it had plunged the country into an economic crisis, pushing it back by 10-15 years.The Modi government should admit its mistake and rectify the situation, he added.Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh the people had been badly hurt by note-bandi, with the poor hit the most.PPCC vice president Sunil Jakhar said they were not against demonetisation but its shoddy implementation. Referring to the seizure of Rs. 3.5 lakh from Fazilka sub-jail, he pointed out that all the new currency notes were being found on leaders and workers of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their allies, such as the Shiromani Akali Dal.