Hitting back at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar over his notes ban remark, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has said Yashwantrao Chavan’s “disciples” should at least understand his “teachings” as things would have been different had Indira Gandhi listened to his advice on the notes ban.
The Congress party was in power at the time and if the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had listened to the advice of Mr. Chavan, her cabinet colleague, on cash ban, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not have been compelled to take the note ban decision, Mr. Javadekar said at a function at the Dombivili Gymkhana.
“Chavan was firm on demonetisation but no one in the government was ready to take his advice on it. His disciples should at least understand his teachings today,” he said, in a veiled dig at the NCP supremo.
Mr. Pawar has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dragging Indira Gandhi into the currency ban demonetisation debate by saying that the then Prime Minister virtually rejected Mr. Chavan’s proposal in that direction.
Prakash Javadekar said black money and corruption had become cancerous to the society and to get out of its grip there was a need for a firm decision, which was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“For the last 70 years people have been standing in queues for procuring rice and kerosene but now for some time they are required to stand in queues for the betterment of the nation,” he said, adding that most people have welcomed the decision.
