New Delhi, 2 Jan: The Supreme Court holding the demonetisation decision as neither “flawed nor hasty” was on Monday hailed by the BJP as “historic” even as the Opposition contended that it is “misleading and wrong” to say the court has upheld the move.
While the BJP asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise for the campaign he ran against the note ban, the Congress said if anyone has to apologise, it has to be the prime minister for the “Tughlaqi” (whimsical) order that brought “economic crisis”.
The Congress said the court verdict is on the process of demonetisation and not on its outcomes, while the Left parties said it has not endorsed the consequences of the decision.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of attempting to “twist” the issue of demonetisation and “misinform” people.
In a big win for the Narendra Modi government, the Supreme Court in a 4:1 majority verdict on Monday gave its stamp of approval to the Centre’s 2016 decision to demonetise the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination currency notes, saying the decision-making process was neither flawed nor hasty.
It is “misleading and wrong” to say the Supreme Court has upheld demonetisation, the Congress said, adding that the majority apex court verdict on the matter deals with the limited issue of the process of decision-making, not with its outcomes.
Former law minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that demonetisation proved to be the “biggest blow” to terrorism by curbing terror funding and had boosted income tax and cleansed the economy.
“It is a historic decision and is in the national interest. The Supreme Court has held a decision taken in the national interest valid. Will Rahul Gandhi now say sorry for his campaign against demonetisation? He spoke against it even abroad,” he said at a press conference.
“The Supreme Court verdict is on the process of demonetisation and not on its outcomes.
“If anybody has to apologise, it has to be the Prime Minister, because the ‘Tughlaki’ decision taken by him on November 8, 2016 destroyed lakhs of MSMEs, the informal sector, and the livelihood of lakhs of people, and we continue to face the negative impact it had on our economy,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
“To say that demonetisation has been upheld by the Honourable Supreme Court is totally misleading and wrong,” said Ramesh.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, however, said the SC verdict is “deeply disappointing” as the top court has failed to hold the BJP-led Union government accountable for its “monumental recklessness.” The dissenting verdict on demonetisation is a “slap on the wrist” of the government as it has pointed out the “illegality and irregularities” in the decision, added his colleague and former finance minister P Chidambaram.
“It may be only a slap on the wrist of the government, but a welcome slap on the wrist,” Chidambaram said.
“The Modi government subordinated the office of RBI, twisted the law for oblique purposes, bypassed Parliament and plunged India into a designed economic crisis. The SC failed to hold BJP Government accountable for its monumental recklessness,” Surjewala alleged on Twitter.
Noting that the poorest suffered due to demonetisation, he said, “Yet all of the documented sufferings has escaped the attention of the court. Not holding the government accountable will only embolden it to commit more illegalities.” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The decision of demonetisation by the Modi government will always remain a deep wound on the Indian economy.” Prasad, however, hit out at Congress leaders, especially Chidambaram, for highlighting the minority judgment. They are ignoring with impunity the majority verdict to make uncharitable and scandalous statements, he said.
The dissenting judge has also said the policy was well-intentioned, Prasad added.
In sum and substance, the apex court looked at the entire decision-making exercise and found the process fair and reasonable, he said, hitting out at the opposition party for raising a “big storm” against the demonetisation.
Rahul Gandhi understands an issue only after a Supreme Court verdict, Prasad said, in a swipe at the former Congress president.
The former Union minister said Gandhi “abused” Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his campaign during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls against the alleged corruption in the Rafale deal and stopped after the apex court adjudicated on the matter and rejected the demand for a probe.
Another former Law Minister Kapil Sibal tweeted, “Supreme Court: Demonetisation valid. Can be lawfully repeated.” “Remember the tragic scenes. The long queues. Heartbreaking consequences. The poor being hit the hardest. The rich unfazed. I guess the court only concerned with the law. Not with the consequences!” he said.
In a series of tweets, Rijiju slammed Chidambaram for projecting the dissenting verdict in the 4:1 majority decision as a “slap on the wrist” of the government.
“The ‘New Rule’ for Congress Party: One Judge minority observation is the Supreme Court ruling and four Judges decision is not SC decision! They will go back to all SC minority decisions to uphold them as the laws of the land,” he said in a swipe at Chidambaram, who is also an eminent lawyer.
Rijiju said, “The Supreme Court never examines the impact of a decision like demonetisation. That question could never have been raised for consideration of the court as it is essentially for the executive.
“P Chidambaram knows he’s making a political argument when he states that the objectives were not met, as neither the majority judgment nor even the minority judgment has accepted the said contention.” The Congress’ attempt to twist the issue and misinform people is exposed, the law minister said, adding that its “malicious” efforts to undo the legitimate action of an elected government will not succeed and that Chidambaram had “failed” again.
The CPI(M) said the SC verdict cannot be interpreted as upholding this move.
The decision was taken by the Centre which sought the opinion of the RBI and hence, the approval of Parliament should have been taken before this decision was executed, it said.
“The Supreme Court majority judgement merely upholds the right of the government to take such a decision and in no way endorses the consequences of such a decision,” it said, highlighting the negative effects of the move.
The CPI also said the SC has not endorsed the consequences of the government’s decision on demonetisation, but merely upheld its right to do so and demanded a white paper on it.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, president of All-India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the BJP to celebrate ‘Demonetisation Day.’ “If demonetisation was a success and if they think it was a success, we challenge the BJP why don’t they celebrate ‘Demonetisation Day’.
“The prime minister knows that women, daily wage workers, artisans, drivers, electricians, and masons were affected owing to demonetisation. Why doesn’t the BJP celebrate ‘Notebandi Divas’,” Owaisi said. (PTI)
