Demonetisation turned citizens beggars: Shiv Sena

Mumbai: Taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who called Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘God’s gift to India’, ally Shiv Sena on Tuesday said the government has turned the citizens into beggars post demonetisation.

Recalling that many people termed British rule “divine dispensation” during the Colonial era, the Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana said that the former only looted the people.

“They survived here for 150 years using divide and rule methods. Those who feel the current regime is divine dispensation should stop insulting God. Citizens are God and they have become beggars because of the demonetisation decision,” the Sena said.

The Sena was referring to remarks that the then Union minister (and present vice-president) Venkaiah Naidu made in March 2016 terming Mr Modi as ‘God’s gift to India’.

The Sena, which has been opposing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, questioned why the government did not take credit when three women labourers were run over by a train while crossing the tracks between Malad and Goregaon stations in Mumbai three days ago.

The ally also lashed out at the BJP-led government for “lavishing money” on advertisements to claim credit for a host of issues and questioned why it was silent on pests attacking the cotton crop in Vidarbha.

“Thriving on some success achieved by sheer luck, will the Modi and Devendra Fadnavis governments take responsibility for the loss of traditional jobs in Vidarbha, bamboo-growers losing jobs...?  If a jobless youth from Vidarbha joins Naxalites, who will take the responsibility?” it asked.

In a sarcastic aside, referring to Miss India Manushi Chhillar being crowned Miss World, the Sena wondered why no one had come forward to seek credit for her achievement.