Delhi Congress to hold protest demonstrations and dharnas in all the 14 districts of Delhi on January 7, 2017

· Delhi Congress to hold protest demonstrations and dharnas in all the 14 districts of Delhi on January 7, 2017 from 10 a.m to 1 p.m as part of the Congress party’s Pan-India campaign against the anti-people policies of the Modi Government—Sharmistha Mukherjee.

· Modiji has not yet replied to Congress vice-president Shri Rahul Gandhi’s poser about Shri Modi receiving Rs 65 crore from the Aditya Birla Group and the Sahara Group in a blatant case of corruption—Sharmistha Mukherjee.

· BJP leaders were arrested with black money during demonetization drive—Sharmistha Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, January 2—Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said the Delhi Congress will hold protest demonstrations and dharnas in all the 14 districts of Delhi on January 7, 2017 from 10 a.m to 1 p.m as part of the Congress party’s Pan-India campaign against the anti-people policies of the Modi Government, which has pushed the country towards a financial anarchy, following the faulty implementation of the demonetization drive. She said Modiji has not yet replied to Congress vice-president Shri Rahul Gandhi’s poser about Shri Modi receiving Rs 65 crore from the Aditya Birla Group and the Sahara Group in a blatant case of corruption.

Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said following the district-level protests on January 7, Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress will observe a “Thali-Peet Demonstration” on January 9 at the State and district levels, along with other frontal organizations.

Addressing a press conference along with the district presidents and other senior leaders of the party at the DPCC office, Rajiv Bhawan, here today, Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said the people of India were eagerly awaiting Modi’s response on his December 31, 2016 speech about how much black money was unearthed in 50 days of demonetization. He kept mum on this issue. She said that 115 people had died on account of demonetization, but their families have not been given even a penny as compensation. Even Modiji did not mention about them in his speech. Besides Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee, prominent others present at the press conference were AICC coordinator and former Haryana speaker and MLA Shri Rabhubir Singh Kadiyan, spokesperson Ms Pooja Bahri, Shri Bhram Yadav, ex-MLA Shri Harishankar Gupta and senior leader Shri Chattar Singh.

Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said Congress vice-president Shri Rahul Gandhi, on behalf of 125 crore people of the country, had asked five questions on demonetisation to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

They were:

1. The people of the country have deposited all the money in the banks. Now tell us how much black money has come back? The country wants to know the answer.

2. How much economic loss the country has suffered following demonetization? How many lakhs of people have lost their jobs? The country wants to know the answer.

3. How many people have lost their lives on account of demonetization? Why have you not paid compensation to the families of those died?

4. What kind of preparations were taken before announcing the demonetization drive? Did you seek the advise of the RBI and other economists?

5. Disclose the names of the people and organizations who had deposited Rs 25 lakh or above three months before the announcement of demonetization.

Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said that Shri Narendra Modi has not yet replied to the questions posed by Shri Rahul Gandhi either in Parliament or outside Parliament, though Shri Narendra Modi is famous for his loquacious speeches.

Smt Sharmistha Mukherjee said that after the completion of 50 days of demonetization, Shri Rahul Gandhi on behalf of farmers and labourers, poor and women, shopkeepers and unemployed people, have sought five demands, which are as follows:

1. We demand that return people’s money. 30 December has passed, now remove restrictions in withdrawing money from banks, and give 18% interest to all Bank Account Holders till the withdrawal of money after 8 November. Stop payment of service charges for cashless payment.

2. Food items, given under the Rights to Food, should be given at half the rate for one year. We demand that the farmers should be given 20 per cent bonus on MSP on Rabi crops so that losses could be recovered due to demonetization.

3. Women were the worst sufferers due to demonetization. We demand that Rs 25,000 should be deposited in the account of one female belonging to every BPL family.

4. The daily wages of MANREGA labourers should be doubled. Through a special drive, unemployment allowance at par with minimum wages should be given to all those labourers who have become unemployed between 1st November, 2016 to 31st March, 2017.

5. We demand that small shopkeepers and small industries should be given 50 per cent concession on Income Tax and Sales Tax. The Modi Government should pay the losses incurred due to concession in Sales Tax in cities.

Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said while announcing demonetization on 8 November, 2016 Shri Narendra Modi had said that demonetization will cleanse the country of black money as black money will be flushed out, action will be taken on the corrupt, and terrorism would be stamped out. But no such thing has happened. She said that it is very strange that during demonetization, BJP leaders were caught with black money—the party in which Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also belongs. Shri said the BJP leaders had knowledge about demonetization beforehand and that’s why crores of rupees were invested in land and property by RSS and BJP leaders in Bengal, Orisssa and Bihar.

Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee said that the Prime Minister, who spoke about cleansing the country of black money through demonetization, has not yet replied to the question posed by Shri Rahul Gandhiji regarding Shri Modi taking Rs 65 crore from the Aditya Birla and Sahara groups.

AICC co-ordinator Shri Raghubir Singh Kadiyan said that while announcing demonetization, Modi had said that this deicision was in favour of the poor, and against the people who keep black money, whereas what has really happened is just the opposite of what Shri Modi had said. Shri Kadiyan said that Shri Narendra Modi announced demonetization as he wanted to divert the attention of the people as his goal was only the UP elections.