FULL TRANSCRIPT
As per data mentioned by the All India Manufacturing Association, the country’s manufacturing sector has suffered a lot due to demonetisation. Thousands of workers engaged in the sector have been rendered jobless.
Sir, my question is, what steps have been initiated by the government for rehabilitation and compensation of the workers who have lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector due to demonetisation.
Trinamool Congress MPs from both the Houses of the Parliament staged a dharna today outside the Parliament protesting against demonetisation, which completed three months today.
In the Parliament, the party gave notices in both the Upper and the Lower Houses to discuss on the issue that had led millions of poor people in great distress.
In Rajya Sabha, Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded Suspension of Rules in order to discuss forthwith the limits on cash withdrawal even after 3 months of demonetisation. He pointed out that in November, the PM had asked for 50 days which eded on December 30. Now three months have passed. Deposit and withdrawal limits after the announcement are still being imposed, causing hardship and inconvenience to common man. People are unable to withdraw one’s own hard earned money, he pointed out. He said that Trinamool Congress is against the restrictions on cash withdrawal and the Government must immediately remove these restrictions.
The Trinamool MP pointed out that over 120 lives have been lost due to demonetisation and many daily wage workers, labourers and farmers have lost their livelihoods. The down trodden and poor continue to suffer.
Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee was the first person to react against this ‘Draconian Policy’ of the Centre back in November 8, 2016, the day it was announced. Today, in a series of tweet, Mamata Banerjee said that “Demonetisation-Remonetisation” has derailed the nation and the step was “visionless, missionless and directionless”. Here is her full statement.
Three months are over since demonetisation was announced by the Prime Minister on November 8, 2016. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today took to Twitter to say that restrictions and sufferings of people due to demonetisation is still not over.
“Citizens have lost economic freedom. When economic freedom is lost, main freedom is lost,” she said. The CM added, “Only few rich capitalists are not suffering. Commoners, middle class, downtrodden, poorest of the poor continue to suffer.”
“The economy has slowed down tremendously. The nation is facing acute economic crisis. How much longer?” she asked.
Calling “Demonetisation-Remonetisation” as “visionless, missionless, directionless” Mamata Banerjee said the step has derailed the nation.
গত ৮ নভেম্বর, ২০১৬ নরেন্দ্র মোদি নোট বাতিলের সিদ্ধান্ত ঘোষণা করেছিলেন। আজ তার তিন মাস পূর্ণ হল। আজ আরও একবার এই ইস্যুতে ক্ষোভ প্রকাশ করে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় বলেন, “নোট বাতিলের তিন মাস সম্পূর্ণ, তবু সাধারণ মানুষের দুর্ভোগ, ভোগান্তি এখনও শেষ হয়নি”।
“মানুষ আর্থিক স্বাধীনতা হারিয়েছে। আর্থিক স্বাধীনতা হারিয়ে গেলে মূল স্বাধীনতাও খর্ব হয়”। তিনি আরও বলেন, “শুধুমাত্র কিছু ব্যবসায়ীরাই এতে লাভবান হচ্ছেন ৷ গরিব-মধ্যবিত্ত-অতি গরিবরা এখনও নোট সমস্যায় ভুগছেন ৷”
তিনি আরও বলেন, “অর্থনৈতিক কাঠামো ভেঙে পড়ছে, দেশ প্রবল আর্থিক সংকটের মুখে। আর কতদিন এই যন্ত্রণা ভোগ করতে হবে?”
তাঁর কথায়, “ডিমনিটাইজেশন-রিমনিটাইজেশনের এই পরিকল্পনাহীন / গতিহীন , উদ্দেশ্যহীন, দিশাহীন পদক্ষেপে দেশকে চরম দুর্ভোগের সম্মুখীন হতে হয়েছে”।
Today, three months over. Restrictions and sufferings not over. #DeMonetisation 1/5
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 8, 2017
Citizens have lost economic freedom. When economic freedom is lost, a main freedom is lost #DeMonetisation
2/5— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 8, 2017
Only few rich capitalists are not suffering. Commoners, middle class, downtrodden, poorest continue to suffer. #DeMonetisation 3/5
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 8, 2017
The economy has slowed down tremendously. The nation is facing an acute economic crisis. How much longer? #DeMonetisation 4/5
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 8, 2017
DeMo-ReMo derailed the nation. Visionless, missionless, directionless. Today three months #DeMonetisation 5/5
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 8, 2017
Speaking on the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017 in Lok Sabha, Trinamool MP called the Ordinance (which this Bill will replace) as “unnecessary and uncalled for”.
Quoting the RBI Act, Section 26(1) and (2), Saugata Roy questioned the Centre under what provision of law can the government restrict people from accessing their bank accounts. He said it was in violation of Article 300(A) of the Constitution.
He said that the Prime Minister’s reply during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address did not have any adequate answer on what was the rationale behind demonetisation. He accused the government of changing goal posts from black money to ‘Digital India’.
“In a country where there are 5.1 lakh villages, you have got only 1.36 lakh bank branches. We have got 2.18 lakh ATMs. 40 percent of whom do not work and 40 percent of whom do not have cash. You are subjecting the poor people to this. I mentioned yesterday by taking away cash from the economy you have breaking the backbone of the society,” Saugata Roy said.
He added: “Counterfeit notes are only 0.03% of total circulation. To get Rs 400 crore out of system, they cancelled Rs 15.44 lakh crore. Total amount of black money in cash is only 6%. People convert it into gold, real estate or keep it abroad. The government has failed to bring back black money from abroad.”
He asked the government if lengthy speeches in Parliament will bring back the lives of the 150 people who died due to demonetisation. He said that people of India will reply to this heartless and reckless step.
Speaking during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said that demonetisation is the most senseless, cruel, heartless and reckless step taken by a govt since independence.
He slammed the government over demonetisation, political vendetta, rising intolerance in the country, deaths due to railway accidents, Maoist attacks, law and order situation in Jammu & Kashmir and foreign policy vis-a-vis China and Pakistan.
‘Ardh Satya’
He called the President’s speech ‘Ardh Satya’ as it does not mention most of the important issue facing the nation. He expressed concern over the protectionist policy of US which may create problems for trade and industry in India; Saugata Roy expressed solidarity with IT technologists working in the US. He also felt worried about the China-Pakistan axis being active against India.
Demonetisation
He teared into the government on the issue of demonetisation. He said, “Demonetisation has destroyed the financial structure of our country. Why did you have to kill whole economy to get black money”? He added, “Ninety per cent of our people use currency notes, 45% of our economy is informal. Sir, you know the Prime Minister talks about digital economy. The total number of credit and debit cards in this country of 125 crore people is 9 crore. There are only 1.36 lakh bank branches in this country, only 2.18 lakh ATMs. Now, in a country which has 5.5 lakh villages, with this few debit and credit cards, with this few ATMs, how can you say that the economy will go digital? It has killed lives”
Saugata Roy demanded to know ow much of black money has been deposited in Rs 1000/500 notes? He said the RBI Governor could not provide the answer. The RBI Governor could not tell us how much time is required to remove the restrictions on withdrawals, he added. Calling demonetisation a surgical strike on the people of India, he said GDP will fall because of the reckless step and that people will respond to this action.
Political Vendetta
Terming the arrests of Trinamool’s Leader in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and MP Tapas Pal as political vendetta, Saugata Roy said Centre is misusing agencies like CBI because the party, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been vocal against demonetisation from Day 1. Saugata Roy said the party will fight against political vendetta on the streets and people will ultimately throw this government out of power. He demanded to know why investigation was not being allowed into the Sahara diaries.
Bank NPAs
Saugata Roy made a mention of the crisis in banking sector, highlighting that total NPAs of banks stands at whooping Rs 8 lakh crore. He wondered how Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi were allowed to flee the country. He added that the President’s speech does not mention the word ‘unemployment’ and that the country is facing a crisis in private sector investment.
Law and Order
Saugata Roy criticised the government over the increased incidents of Maoist attacks in the country. He also highlighted the absence of any mention of ‘intolerance’ in the President’s speech. “Dalits were attacked in Gujarat. In Karnataka a rationalist was killed by Hindu extremists,” he said. Saugata Roy also spoke about the violence in Jammu & Kashmir in 2016 following the encounter of Burhan Wani. He attacked the government, which champions itself over women empowerment, over the fact that only Rs 400 crore out of Rs 2000 crore Nirbhaya Fund was in implementation stage.
Trinamool today slammed the Centre for indulging in politics of vendetta and stifling the voice of the Opposition. The party said said that political vendetta will only firm the resolve the Centre on demonetisation.
Trinamool had submitted a Notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha today to suspend the business of the House at 11 AM and 12 noon in order to discuss the issue. You can read the full Notice here.
Speaking on behalf of the party, Leader of the Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien said: “On 24 November, 2016, we mentioned that political vendetta cannot be used against the Opposition for protesting against demonetisation. Exactly what we feared has happened. Lok Sabha leader of Trinamool Congress was called and arrested January 3.”
He added that what has happened to Trinamool today can happen to any other party in the future. He maintained that in a democracy one can have political differences and political vendetta should not be done.
Chief Whip of the party in Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy slammed the Centre for the ‘witch hunt’ against Trinamool. All Trinamool MPs in the Upper House walked out in protest against political vendetta and witch hunt by the Centre.
Click here for the full transcript of the speech
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today called the Union Budget as “clueless, useless, baseless, missionless and actionless”.
Slamming the Central Government, she tweeted: “A controversial Budget which is clueless, useless, baseless, missionless and actionless. Heartless. No roadmap for the country or the future from a government that has lost all its credibility”
She added, “Tax payers still have restrictions on withdrawals. Remove all restrictions. And where are the figures for demonetisation? Misleading. Full of jugglery of numbers and hollow words which mean nothing.”
বাংলার মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের বাজেটকে “অনর্থক, ভিত্তিহীন, উদ্দেশ্যহীন কর্মহীন ও হৃদয়হীন” বলে আখ্যা দিয়েছেন।
কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের বাজেটের সমালোচনা করে তিনি টুইট করে জানান, “কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের এই বিতর্কিত বাজেট আদপে অনর্থক, ভিত্তিহীন, উদ্দেশ্যহীন কর্মহীন ও হৃদয়হীন। দেশের ভবিষ্যতের কোনও পথনির্দেশ দেননি কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার। এই সরকার সব ধরনের বিশ্বাসযোগ্যতা হারিয়েছে। এই বাজেট বিভ্রান্তিকর।”
তিনি আরও বলেন, “কর প্রদানকারীদের টাকা তোলার ক্ষেত্রে এখনও নিষেধাজ্ঞা বহাল রয়েছে। সব ধরনের নিষেধাজ্ঞা এই মুহূর্তে তুলে নেওয়া হোক। নোটবাতিল সংক্রান্ত কোনও তথ্য কেন বাজেটে নেই? শুধুমাত্র পরিসংখ্যানের ভেলকি ও ফাঁকা আওয়াজ, যার কোনও অর্থ নেই।”
Attacking the Central Government sharply, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said that the Centre snatched away the financial freedom of the common people of India through demonetisation.
“People are not able to withdraw their own money from banks. Democratic and political rights are meaningless without financial rights. Central govt has once again made us dependent despite so many years of independence,” she said while addressing reporters at Sukna.
She made an appeal to the Centre to take back all limits on cash withdrawal immediately. She maintained that people will not forgive the Centre for causing them so much suffering due to demonetisation.
Mamata Banerjee also said that Trinamool is being targeted because the party protested against demonetisation. “Sudip Bandyopadhyay is innocent. He has committed no fault. This is political vendetta, nothing else,” she said.
কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারকে কড়া ভাষায় আক্রমণ করে এদিন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় বলেন, নোট বাতিলের মাধ্যমে কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার সাধারণ মানুষের অর্থনৈতিক অধিকার কেড়ে নিয়েছে।
মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, “সাধারণ মানুষ ব্যাঙ্ক থেকে নিজের টাকা তুলতে পারছেন না। অর্থনৈতিক অধিকার কেড়ে নিলে রাজনৈতিক ও গণতান্ত্রিক অধিকার অর্থহীন হয়ে পড়ে। স্বাধীনতার এত বছর পরেও কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের হঠকারী সিদ্ধান্তের জন্য আজ মানুষ পরাধীন”।
তিনি কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের কাছে সব বিধি নিষেধ প্রত্যাহারের দাবি জানান। তিনি বলেন এই গণতান্ত্রিক শোষণ ও শাসন আগামীদিনে ভারতের মানুষ ক্ষমা করবে না।
সাংসদ সুদীপ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের গ্রেফতারি প্রসঙ্গে তিনি বলেন, “উনি কোন অপরাধ করেননি, উনি নির্দোষ। এটা রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসা ছাড়া আর কিছু নয়”।
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged jatra artistes to come forward and protest against demonetisation while inaugurating Jatra Utsav in Barasat. “Jatra artistes are also suffering, they have lost their happiness. I urge everyone to come forward and protest”, she said.
“Our MPs staged protests in Delhi for three days against demonetisation. It is important that people get to work “, she said. She raised the question of why the Centre did not ban only Rs 1000 notes. “Why did they cause so much suffering to people?” she asked.
Mamata Banerjee asked the jatra artistes whether they are getting same number of bookings for shows as before post-demonetisation and the crowd, in a chorus, said, “No”.
She said, micro and small-scale artisans who showcase their products in fairs have also been affected as many programmes have been cancelled. Bookings of shows for jatra festivals have also been cancelled causing serious inconveniences to the people involved in this sector.
বারাসাতে যাত্রা উৎসবের উদ্বোধন করতে গিয়ে বাংলার মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় নোট বাতিলের বিরুদ্ধে যাত্রা শিল্পীদের প্রতিবাদ করার আহ্বান জানালেন। “যাত্রা শিল্পীরাও নোট বাতিলের ফলে ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত। আমি সকলকেই আহ্বান জানাচ্ছি এই নোট বাতিলের বিরুদ্ধে প্রতিবাদ জানানোর”, তিনি বলেন।
মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, “আমাদের সাংসদরা দিল্লীতে তিন দিন নোট বাতিলের বিরুদ্ধে প্রতিবাদ করেন। মানুষের জন্য কাজ করা খুব জরুরি।” তিনি প্রশ্ন তোলেন, কেন কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার শুধুমাত্র ১০০০ টাকার নোট বাতিল করল না, কেন তারা সমস্ত জনসাধারণকে এত কষ্টের মধ্যে ফেলল।
তিনি প্রশ্ন করেন, “যাত্রা শিল্পীরা কি নোট বাতিলের পর এখনও আগের মতই ডাক পাচ্ছেন?” উপস্থিত সকলে সমস্বরে জবাব দেয়, “না”।
মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, মাঝারি ও ক্ষুদ্র শিল্পীরা যারা বিভিন্ন মেলায় নিজেদের তৈরি জিনিসপত্র বিপনন করে থাকেন তারাও ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হয়েছেন। পাশাপাশি যাত্রার অনেক অনুষ্ঠান বাতিল হয়ে যাওয়ায় যাত্রা শিল্পীরাও চরম ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হয়েছেন।
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused him of “removing crucial files” related to the notes ban. She also alleged that demonetisation was a “ploy to transform white money into black and black money into white”.
“They (Modi government) have turned the CBI into the Conspiracy Bureau of India and are using it for pursuing vendetta politics. The CBI has created a back office to come up with false evidence against our leaders to implicate them in chit fund cases,” she alleged.
Mamata Banerjee alleged that the CPI(M) had entered into a “political match-fixing” with the BJP as it was “under the Left rule that the chit funds had mushroomed in the state”.
“It was during the CPI(M) regime that Rose Valley and Saradha chit funds came into being. What were the SEBI and RBI doing then? Several top CPI(M) leaders were involved in the chit fund business but none of them was summoned. It only shows that the CPI(M) and the BJP have teamed up in Bengal,” she said.
নোট বাতিল সংক্রান্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সব ফাইল সরিয়ে ফেলা হয়েছে বলে এদিন অভিযোগ করেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। তাঁর অভিযোগ নোট বাতিল সাদা টাকাকে কালো টাকায় রুপান্তরিত করার এক কৌশল।
তিনি বলেন, “ওরা সিবিআই কে কন্সপিরেসি ব্যুরো অফ ইন্ডিয়ায় পরিণত করে তা রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসা চরিতার্থ করার কাজে লাগাচ্ছে। একটা ব্যাক অফিস তৈরি করেছে সেখানে আমাদের নেতাদের বিরুদ্ধে মিথ্যে অভিযোগের প্রমাণ তৈরি করছে”।
সিপিএমএর সঙ্গে বিজেপির ম্যাচ ফিক্সিং হয়েছে। বাম আমলে রাজ্যে যখন চিট ফান্দ তৈরি হয়েছিল তখন ওরা কি করছিল?কেন পদক্ষেপ নেয়নি এই প্রশ্নও তুলেছেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী।
তিনি আরও বলেন, “রোজ ভ্যালি, সারদা তৈরি হয়েছে সিপিএমের আমলে। সেই সময় আরবিআই, সেবি কেন চিট ফাণ্ড ব্যবসা করতে দিয়েছিল? অনেক সিপিএম নেতা এই চিট ফান্ডের সঙ্গে জড়িত। তাদের কেন তলব করা হচ্ছে না? এর থেকেই স্পষ্ট সিপিএম-বিজেপি বাংলায় একজোট হয়েছে”।
