BJP bemused as CPM, Congress fight each other over currency famine
- The Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala stirred the hornet's nest by blaming the state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac for his 'unpreparedness' in meeting the payday crisis.
- A combative Isaac shot back furiously and called the Congress the B-team of the BJP.
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Barely a week after the ruling CPM and the opposition Congress joined hands in Kerala Assembly against the Centre and vowed to oppose the demonetization together, the new found love between the arch-rivals against the common enemy has gone sour. Ironically, the two parties are fighting each other now over the payday chaos!
The Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala stirred the hornet's nest by blaming the state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac for his 'unpreparedness' in meeting the payday crisis. A combative Isaac shot back furiously and called the Congress the B-team of the BJP.
Chennithala stated on Saturday that Finance Minister failed to take necessary precautions to meet the currency demands on the payday and hence the misery of the pensioners and salaried class in the state. He also blamed that Isaac contacted the Reserve Bank demanding an immediate release of currencies just a day before December 1. Finance Ministers of other states had written to the RBI much in advance seeking the additional supply of currency and salary disbursal in neighbouring states was smooth, he claimed.
In a sharp retort, Isaac told the Congress leader he need not give him lessons on demonetization. The Congress is playing like the B-team of the BJP. Those who declared agitation against demonetization is now justifying it, he said referring to the flip-flop by the Congress leader.
The Leader of Opposition stuck to his guns and challenged Isaac to release the minutes of the meeting in which the Finance Minister claimed to have demanded Rs.1,000 crores from the RBI in advance. Isaac was trying to cover up his mismanagement by blaming the RBI, he said.
Meanwhile, the letters, sent by Isaac to the central government and RBI a week before the 30 November meeting, have emerged. Reports also show that the salaried persons in other states were also facing the same troubles as in Kerala.
But the spar between the Minister and the Leader of Opposition has marred the attempt to strike a consensus among parties against Narendra Modi’s demonetization, much to the amusement of the BJP.
Earlier, when the CPM’s invited the Congress for a joint agitation against the Centre in connection with the crisis in the cooperative sector, the Congress state chief VM Sudheeran had turned down the offer. Interestingly, the Congress state president's stand had ruffled feathers in the Congress and the United Democratic Front then as many of its constituents preferred a joint struggle.
