Period of inconvenience over: FM on note-ban

New Delhi: Asserting that demonetisation had dealt a ‘serious blow’ to crime and terrorism, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that queues outside banks have disappeared, and remonetisation has moved ahead.

“Demonetisation is obviously disruptive just like all reforms, because it changes the retrograde status quo. The implementation of demonetisation carried pain, as well as short term criticism and drop in economic activity,” Jaitley said.

“(However) the period of pain and inconvenience is getting over, and economic activity is being restored,” he added.

Attacking Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Finance Minister claimed that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was thinking of the next generation, Gandhi was only looking at how to disrupt the next session of Parliament.

It is a tragedy that a national party like Congress decided to adopt a political position opposing both technological change and reforms, Jaitley said.

Earlier, speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Sunday, Modi slammed the Opposition, claiming that it  is unfortunate that India’s fight against black money and corruption is being termed anti-people by 'political worshippers' of black money.