HYDERABAD: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today hit out at Congress and Left parties over their planned protests tomorrow against demonetisation saying they have been cut off from the people and marginalised.
He also asked the opposition parties to allow resumption of proceedings in Parliament and discuss threadbare the issue of demonetisation over which people have "clearly demonstrated" that they were willing to bear short-term pains for long-term gains.
"It is evident that the so-called ‘akrosh’ of Congress is not genuine since it has no justification to be angry on the issue of demonetisation.
"It is plain and simple. How can any party be angry when the people clearly demonstrated to bear with short term pains for long term gains.
"Congress is cut off from the pulse of the people and they will pay even more heavily for their folly of such false demonstration," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said.
"The people are wise enough to see through such political games borne out of frustration. People have for long held that Left parties can never be right and, hence, they have been marginalised," he said.
Naidu was commenting on the "Jan Aakrosh" (people's anger) protest and the Left parties day-long badh planned against the government decision to junk Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes.
He said Congress was clearly rattled by eight transformational results that will forever bury the eight-fold "inimical" culture of Congress.
"This is the clear reason for it being angry. Knowing the popular support to demonetisation, Congress has changed its tactics from calling for a country-wide bandh to akrosh rallies.
"From this, it is clear that all this is aimed at finding some space in the media as they have clearly lost out space in the debating forum of Parliament and the minds of the people."
Congress, he alleged, desperately tried to disrupt proceedings of Parliament for more than a week on some pretext or the other just to buy time to get the support of a few other parties in "their desperate attempt for a photo opportunity".
"That is why they stalled the debate on demonetisation from concluding in Rajya Sabha and its commencement in Lok Sabha," he said.
Naidu asked the Congress that people would like to know "why akrosh (anger)".
"Political parties have a right to reflect the anger of the people on any initiative of the Government. But such an anger should truly reflect the people's mind and not just the frustrations of such parties," he said.
Referring to the Congress and some other parties call for 'Akrosh rallies' and protests, he asked, "what is that they want to highlight and achieve from this orchestrated political theatre of action?"
"If it was against demonetisation of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes, do the Congress and others really believe that they are holding the mirror to the anger of the people? If the people were angry and against the government’s move, they would not stand in long queues for two weeks now with patience and discipline."
The minister said it was acknowledged that people of the country have made a profound statement in support of the government’s move by voluntarily willing to bear with the short-term inconveniences that were expected to be caused by the demonetisation of high-value currency notes.
"If it is against the manner of remonetisation, these parties should have acted more constructively by speaking their minds inside Parliament rather than orchestrating such photo opportunities."
While making the announcement, Prime Minister on November 8 clearly suggested that there would be some difficulties for a few weeks. This made it clear that the Government was clearly aware of such difficulties and expected cooperation from the people.
"People lived up to the expectations of the Prime Minister and the Government. The last two weeks have witnessed a clear demonstration of the keenness of the people for a new and clean India. Then why the Congress is still angry?" he asked.
Naidu said BJP, NDA and the people of the country firmly believe that Congress is angry because the Prime Minister has given a clarion call for a "cultural revolution" against the 55-year-old eight- fold "decadent culture" of "corruption, opportunism, nepotism, greed, repression, exploitation of power, sycophancy and self-seeking" epitomized by the "family-centric Congress party" during its long year of rule.
The Prime Minister set in motion a multi-pronged and comprehensive strategy to cleanse the system of all ills that have worked against the interests of poor, the common man and the middle class since the system nurtured by Congress benefited only a few individuals and groups, he said.
The Prime Minister’s efforts will result in a "new normal" in which the financial institutions and systems will serve the interests of the poor, the common man and the middle classes, who constitute the vast majority of the "honest that our society is made of", Naidu said.
The initiatives of the Prime Minister and the Government including the latest "remonetisation" are aimed at a "behavioural change" that is necessary for building a new and resurgent India based on the cleanliness of thoughts and actions.
The perception about India from that of being "corrupt to clean" will result in increased investments and enhanced economic and business activities benefiting the millions of unemployed youth, he said.
The new initiatives will herald a modern India on the lines of advanced countries where in financial payments and transactions will not require carrying currency.
"Behavioural modification being targeted and what will eventually follow will result in the elimination of the monstrous black money leading to increased revenues to central and state governments that ultimately benefits the poor, common man and the middle classes significantly," he said.
The new initiatives will soon transform India "erasing the Congress legacy of eight-fold decadent culture and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will emerge as the tallest leader of post-Independent India," Naidu said.
It is really immoral that Congress and the Left parties are trying to "mislead and instigate people and to make their suffering more" by bringing business transactions to a halt for a day by organising a bandh, Naidu said.
The opposition would have to pay a heavy price for its false demonstrations planned for tomorrow.