Mamata tells Modi to be sober, act like PM

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the pitch by stating that people “involved with chit funds” were protesting against demonetisation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked him to be “sober” and “act like a PM”.

Talking to reporters in Kolkata, Mamata said that Modi has been threatening Opposition parties raising their voice against demonetisation with probes by central agencies like the CBI.

“The PM should be sober. He should act like the PM. He should convene an all-party meet instead of threatening other parties,” she said.

Even though Modi did not name anybody, his “chit fund” jibe seemed to have prompted the Trinamool chief to respond. “This should not be an ego fight. The government should have a plan of action on demonetisation. My humble submission is that we should work together to solve the issue since people are suffering,” she said.

Claiming that some parties were keeping quiet due to threats from Modi, she added, “He can arrest me or even have me killed but I’ll not be cowed down by such threats. I’ll continue to protest,” she said. Political observers believe Modi’s jibe hinted at the ‘Saradha scam’, which has embroiled a number of Trinamool leaders.

Mamata hit back, saying the Centre’s sudden move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has “caused immense hardship to common people instead of managing to catch actual black money holders”.