In U-turn, Chandrababu Naidu says he supports note ban

New Delhi: Acknowledging that cash crisis post-demonetisation continued, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said his comments, made during a party event in Vijaywada, were distorted. Senior ally BJP, which found itself in an uncomfortable position after Mr Naidu’s reported comments, tried to play down the criticism. The BJP, it was learnt, also made enquiries with the AP CM’s office on Wednesday morning whether he had said what was reported in the media. Mr Naidu also heads the panel set up by the Centre to look into issues arising from demonetisation and his party is a key partner in the ruling NDA alliance.

After supporting demonetisation initially, Mr Naidu, at the party event on Tuesday, appeared to be having a second thought, saying this is not what they wished for and that the solution to problems due to the note ban remained elusive even after 40 days. The AP CM on Wednesday said he has been supporting demonetisation, but added that problems arising out of the exercise “continue” as “we are going (about them) in a routine manner”.

While playing down the criticism by Mr Naidu on the roll out of demonetisation, the BJP said the chief minister has not said anything different from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders about difficulties being faced by people.

“What he is saying is nothing different from what Modi said that there should be least difficulty to the common man. He indicated to the government for expediting money circulation,” said BJP national secretary and Andhra in-charge Sidharth Nath Singh. He said the concerns raised by him about difficulties being faced by people is quite natural and it is something BJP leaders have also talked about.

Asked about Mr Naidu’s denouncement of people handling the exercise, the BJP leader said what the Andhra chief minister has said is also being “grossly misreported”.