RBI's move to withdraw Rs 2000 notes: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday questioned the Reserve Bank of India's move to withdraw Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation. On Friday, the RBI notified that banks will exchange the Rs 2,000 notes till September 30 and people holding notes beyond the specified date will not invite legal action.
The Opposition hit out at the Centre over the RBI's move. While senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the Rs 2,000 note was a "band-aid" to cover up the "foolish decision" of demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Mamata Banerjee called it “billion dollar 'dhoka' (fraud) to a billion Indians”.
Owaisi too on Saturday posed five questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi over RBI's decision. In a tweet he said, "Five questions to Top Economist PM Modi: @PMOIndia - Why did you introduce the 2000 note in the first place? Can we expect 500 note to be withdrawn soon? 70 crore Indians don't have a smartphone, how do they do the digital payment? What is the role of Bill Gates-owned Better Than Cash Alliance in making you do Demo 1.0 and 2.0? Is NPCI being hacked by Chinese hackers? If so, what will happen to payments when war happens?
The RBI did not say what would be the status of Rs 2,000 notes in private hands after September 30. Earlier, the government had made it an offence to hold the demonetised Rs 500 and 1,000 notes after the expiry of the deposit deadlines. Unlike the November 2016 shock demonetisation when old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were invalidated overnight, the Rs 2,000 notes will continue to be legal tender till September 30, the RBI said earlier in the day.
