PATNA: In an inflammatory appeal to the public in connection with the crises caused by demonetisation, controversial Bihar politician Pappu Yadav, the MP from Madhepura constituency, on Sunday asked people to burn down ATMs that fail to produce currency notes.
“In these conditions, when the common man and farmers are facing crises of food, you must target ATMs and banks, which have become your greatest enemies... You should set them afire when they do not give you the cash you need,” said Yadav in his address at a public gathering at Hajipur Muhalla near Biharsharif in Nalanda district.
Yadav, who is the convenor of his one-year-old party, Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), also asked people to adopt similar violent means with hospitals if they refuse to accept the demonetised currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations. “When Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been asking Bihar’s people to destroy liquor manufacturing units by wielding sticks, why cannot the people burn down ATMs and bank branches?” he asked.
The Madhepura MP, who was elected to Lok Sabha on an RJD ticket in 2014 by beating JD(U) stalwart Sharad Yadav but was expelled from the party in May 2015 for anti-party activities, has emerged as perhaps the most caustic and rabble-rousing critic in Bihar of the Centre’s demonetisation move. Yadav, who is the husband of Congress MP Ranjeeta Ranjan of Supaul constituency in Bihar, had last week criticised the Centre for being “ill-prepared” before implementing the demonetisation move and demanded that the government should also target those temples and godmen who have played a part in the growth of black money.
“Farmers are facing the brunt of the demonetisation move. They are not getting the price of their produce... Instead of implementing demonetisation to curb the presence of black money, the government should bring all political parties under the purview of the RTI Act,” said Yadav in his address.
He also said if banks and ATMs fail to produce Rs 500 currency notes in a week, he would not let Lok Sabha conduct its usual business in the current session.