In poll-bound UP, leaders shower old notes

Lucknow: Outdated ‘dhan’ is now being used for the welfare of the ‘jan’ in Uttar Pradesh. Candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state have hit upon a novel idea of putting their Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes to good use.

These candidates are liberally distributing money among the voters in their constituencies who are depositing the same in their Jan Dhan accounts. This also explains the sudden spurt in deposits of these zero balance accounts.

Talking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, a candidate in Allahabad district admitted that he had given Rs 20,000 each to the village heads in his constituency and Rs 5,000 per head to voters in the villages. It is obvious that this money was promptly deposited in the Jan Dhan accounts of the beneficiaries.

“I had sufficient amount of cash which I had kept aside for my election campaign. Instead of getting it converted and inviting problems, I decided to distribute it in my constituency that I would have done in any case,” he explained.

Apparently, several other candidates in Uttar Pradesh are now following this practice and a village head in Pratapgarh said that several candidates were now trying to outdo each other and people were “blessed” with large amounts of cash.

“In my village alone, every person has got around Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000 after the demonetisation. We used to get liquor, blankets, etc., during elections but this time it is raining money,” he said.

A bank manager in a rural constituency confirmed that money being deposited in zero balance accounts had been given away by those contesting the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

“When I ask some of the depositors about the money they are putting in their accounts, they frankly admit that it has been given by the candidate. This explains the sudden spurt in deposits in these accounts,” he said. The bank manager also discounted reports that Jan Dhan accounts were being used to launder black money.

“I do not subscribe to this theory. Anyone who has unaccounted money in large amounts will not opt for this method. Besides, how many accounts can you use at a time to get your money laundered and what is the guarantee that your identity will remain protected,” he asked.

Meanwhile, Tinnu Ram, a middle-aged farmer in Sultanpur district, admitted to have received money from a poll aspirant, and said that the “money was more than welcome”.

“I have lost two crops due to drought and this one due to the demonetisation. The money I have got will help me to feed my family till things get back on the rails,” he stated.