Kirti Azad calls Jaitley 'inefficient person' over notes ban, seeks his resignation

Darbhanga: Continuing his tirade against Arun Jaitley, suspended BJP leader and MP Kirti Azad on Sunday termed the Finance Minister as an "inefficient" person and sought his resignation holding him responsible for the hardships faced by the common man post-demonetisation.

"It is Arun Jaitley who is bringing disrepute to the government... It is he who is responsible for the hardships faced by the common people post-demonetisation. The Finance Minister is an inefficient person and is also not an economist. He should resign," he told reporters in Darbhanga.

"Our Prime Minister has taken a decision (of demonetising high value notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000) and banks are indulged in converting crores of black money into white. In whose jurisdiction these banks come? These banks come under the ambit of the Finance Ministry," said Azad, who represents Darbhanga in Lok Sabha.

The former cricketer was suspended by party chief Amit Shah on December 23 last year for publicly targeting the Finance Minister for "irregularities" in DDCA, of which Jaitley was the President for 13 years till 2013.

He had also criticised Jaitley two months back saying that those "rejected" by the electorate have not only been made ministers but have become "all in all" in the government and the party.

Azad attacked the government, saying it would have made sufficient arrangements and preparations to deal with the situation post-demonetisation "had its intentions been clear".

"The government's policymakers do not have practical knowledge. Their all assessments are based on far from reality," he alleged.

While frequent raids are being conducted across the country to catch people having black money, why such raids were not conducted earlier by the Finance Ministry, Azad wondered.

Cashless transaction system, which is being aggressively promoted and popularised by the government, seems to be difficult to succeed in a country like India, Azad said and added that e-payment is not cent per cent safe and secure.

Demonetisation has its adverse impact on farmers, labourers, workers, small traders, jewellers, he said adding that even vegetable growers are not getting fair price of their produce.

"There are people (in the party), who have been rejected by the people in the elections, have not only been made ministers (in the Union government) but have actually become 'sarve-sarva' (all in all) both in the government and in the organisation," Azad had told a press meet at his residence on October 23, 2016 in his Lok Sabha constituency Darbhanga.

He was apparently referring to Jaitley who had lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls but was made Union minister.