Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement declaring Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes as invalid could be a step to financially crush the political Opposition ahead of elections in States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said here on Thursday.
Questioning the transparency that the Central government claims to attain through demonetisation, Mr. Rawat said the decision could help the Bharatiya Janata Party during the upcoming elections as it did in March this year when the BJP allegedly paid huge sums of money to the nine Congress MLAs who revolted against the party, brought the State under President’s Rule and later joined the BJP.
“If money flows into Uttarakhand like it did in March [this year], then how will there be any transparency? If this exercise is for transparency then we welcome it. But, if this is to [financially] crush the [political] Opposition then the nation will decide [during elections],” Mr. Rawat said.
“But, in principle, I am with the Central government in its efforts to curb black money and terrorism,” Mr. Rawat said.
Tourism badly hit in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand being a tourism-based economy, the demonetisation decision has hit the State’s earnings.
Mr Rawat said: “The first blow of demonetisation is to tourism. We need to get the exact numbers researched, but tourism was currently at full flow in the State…. Bookings have been cancelled to places as far as Munsiyari.”
