Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday accused Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal of “selling lies”, following AAP leader’s mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the RBI’s decision to withdraw from circulation. 2,000 rupee notes.
Kejriwal tweeted that first the 2,000 rupee notes were said to end corruption and now it is said that withdrawing them will end corruption.
“That’s why I say we should have an educated prime minister,” he said, adding that people have to suffer differently.
In response, Pradhan said that the 2,000 rupee notes are still legal tender, adding that the “educated PM is once again willing to sell lies.”
Quoting a poem by Kabir, the union minister said that education alone does not make someone wise.
Addressing Kejriwal over the alleged excise policy scam in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested, Pradhan said it is only natural that “corrupt stalwarts” living in ‘sheesh mahal’ would feel nervous.
The ‘mahal’ comment was a reference to the dispute over the AAP government’s huge spending to renovate Kejriwal’s residence.
“It looks like all the hard work put in by the kingpin on the liquor scam will go to waste,” Pradhan said.
In a surprise move, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced on Friday the withdrawal of 2,000 rupee notes from circulation, but gave the public until September 30 to deposit such notes into accounts or exchange them at the banks.
In a statement, the RBI said it has asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 notes with immediate effect.
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First posted: May 20, 2023 | 13:47 IS