Emphatically reiterating his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said, “We should all respect the decision”. Mr Kumar’s support has set off ripples in political circles.
“There is a huge sentiment in favour of PM Modi’s move on demonetisation … though he is riding a tiger which even could affect his alliances, we should all respect the decision,” Mr. Kumar told a group of Janata Dal(U) leaders on Sunday. He further said that he would now urge the Prime Minister to crackdown on benami (illegal) property where black money was invested in huge amounts.
Breaking ranks with his political allies — the RJD and Congress — and rejecting the demands against the move by his counterparts in West Bengal and Delhi, Mr. Kumar has openly supported Mr. Modi on the issue.
However, he admitted that demonetisation had hit rural India and caused hardship to people living in remote areas. Saying that the issue may cause differences among the NDA partners too, he reiterated that, “We should support the brave move”, a party leader said.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad has mocked at demonetisation and said, “It’s not a surgical strike (as being dubbed by many) but a furgical (fake) strike by the government.”
