Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rollback the demonetisation scheme or be on the receiving end of an angered public, who are seething with fury after being massively inconvenienced by the Centre's tectonic scheme.
Speaking to the media here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut asserted that the severe crunch being faced by the people was a very disturbing sign for the government.
When told that the Prime Minister had firmly ruled out any possibility of a roll back, Raut replied saying, "then the government can face a roll back themselves. The Shiv Sena fully stands in the fight against corruption, but if there is so much anger among the masses, then something must be wrong."
Emphasising his party's stand on the matter, Raut further said that it was the common man on whom the scheme had proven to be costly, which the rich and powerful continued to languish in their palaces.
"Not a single one of them has been caught, nor are they standing in the long queues. This is not about siding with the opposition but about being with the masses when they need us. All political parties must join hands and call for a roll back of the scheme," Raut said.
However, calling on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to pay no heed to the barrage of attack by the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday ordered the government to go full ahead with demonetisation and ruled out any chance whatsoever of rolling back the scheme.
According to sources, the Prime Minister who was chairing the BJP Parliamentary Party executive meeting, told the attendees to not buckle under the opposition's pressure and go ahead with the Centre's policy.
Stating that the opposition was hard at work to sabotage the process of demonetisation, the Prime Minister assured that the nation has welcomed the step.
The Prime Minister's assertion comes in the wake of the all out attack launched by the opposition today, as the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) joined forces in tearing down the scheme of demonetisation.
Earlier on Monday, Mayawati asserted that people, who were expecting good days, are now facing bad days because of the government's strange decision to ban high denomination notes.
Attempting to reach out to the poor and middle class ahead of next year's assembly polls, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that small and medium businesses have shut down courtesy demonetisation.
"In the name of demonetisation, the common people are being made to suffer. Modi ji has brought miseries and pain for the poor which is extremely wrong. I would like to ask why people of the nation are being troubled like this," said Mayawati.
"The economic affairs of the nation has been hampered by this decision, crores of small and medium scale businesses have been shut in the wake of demonetisation. Its seems like a country wide shutdown is being observed. The people, who were expecting 'achhe din', are now facing 'bure din' and people of the nation want freedom from all this," she added.
On the other hand, holding the Prime Minister responsible for the present cash crunch, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Centre was unprepared in dealing with the crisis.
"Today Centre announced that Indian Air Force will be used to carry and distribute currency notes, it shows that government did not have any game plane to tackle the crisis, government was unprepared in executing its plan, it shows that the government is in a precarious situation," Kejriwal said.
He said that despite Prime Minister Modi's claim that the demonitisation drive would bring sleepless nights to the rich, the aam aadmi (common man), instead, are having sleepless nights standing outside the ATMs.
Branding the Prime Minister as a "habitual abuser", the Congress said that arrogance of power should not surpass the problems faced by people.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala lashed out at the Prime Minister and said that it has become his "character and style" to taunt others.
"The Prime Minister is a habitual abuser himself. We respect the Prime Minister and the office he holds. Whatever abuses he may heap, which he continues to do every day on the leaders of the opposition parties, let him mock the entire country. The Prime Minister mocks the entire nation. The other day, he was sitting in Japan and mocked everybody who was getting married, who were not able to arrange their marriages. Such has become the character and style of this minister," Surjewala said.
Prime Minister Modi, who has drawn sharp flak from a united opposition post his decision to scrap 500 and 1,000 rupee currency notes, urged all to support his decision and bless him in his war against black or undeclared money.
"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 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
