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In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre over demonetisation, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday celebrated the birthday of a child named 'Khazanchi' (treasurer) in Lucknow.
'Khazanchi', according to sources, came into this world while the country was grappling with the aftermath of demonetisation. His father queued up outside a bank (to exchange banned currency notes) in 2016 as his mother gave birth to him. Speaking at the event, the SP chief claimed that the objective behind recalling high-value currency notes from circulation was to offset losses of Rs 15 lakh crore from corporate fraud. "I believe that the loss of nearly Rs 15 lakh crore due to corporate fraud, which happened on their watch, was offset or reversed through demonetisation. If anyone has taken money from the poor to fill the coffers of the rich, it is the BJP. This is why we are here to celebrate the birthday of a child named 'Khazanchi' (treasurer). It is to let people know that corruption and terrorism did not end with demonetisation, as the BJP had promised at the time," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. "The decision to demonetise high-value currency notes was taken to win the Uttar Pradesh (Assembly) elections," the SP chief claimed. The birthday celebration at the office of the Samajwadi Party in Lucknow was attended by Khazanchi's mother and other party members. The SP said the event would serve to remind people of the hardships they had to bear in light of demonetisation. In an announcement that shook the country from stem to stern, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 declared that all currency notes of denominations of 500 and 1000 would cease to be legal tender. The move effectively invalidated 86 per cent of the cash that was in circulation at the time. Replacing the demonetised banknotes, the Centre later came out with new 500 and 2,000 rupee notes. (ANI)
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