Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that West Bengal was targeted by the Centre as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dared to slam the demonetisation.
Kejriwal tweeted,
WB is being targetted becoz Mamtadi dared to speak against demonitization. Mamtadi, keep up the fight. Whole nation is wid u. https://t.co/yw5kA1Ma78
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 2, 2016
The Trinamool Congress chief had accused the central government of "deploying the army" along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government "in the dark" on Thursday night.
Later, she said she would not leave the secretariat till the soldiers were withdrawn. In a dramatic turn of events, Banerjee stay put despite the withdrawal of soldiers from the toll gate till early Friday.
Last month, both Banerjee and Kejriwal had asked the government to scrap the demonetisation decision or face a revolt.
Addressing a public rally at the Azadpur fruit wholesale market, Kejriwal alleged a conspiracy behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to spike 500 and 1,000 rupee notes that has led to a cash chaos across the country.
Calling the after-effects of the demonetisation a "crisis", Kejriwal people didn't have cash even to buy meet basic needs. "If this was indeed against corruption and black money, the first to support you would have been Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party," he said.
Reminding the audience that he had been an Income Tax commissioner, the AAP leader said it was beyond his understanding how corruption and black money could be checked by introducing 2,000 rupee notes. "This is the biggest scam of independent India."
Banerjee said the government's decision had led to economic instability in the country.
"What did they say? Achche din (good days) are coming. Is this achche din?" she asked, taking a jibe at Modi's slogans that his government would bring in better times for India.
"Truckers tell me they don't have money to pay drivers. Trucks are the lifeline of the nation. What will happen if trucks stop running and mandis stop getting vegetables and fruits?
"What will people eat? Diamonds? ATMs? What kind of a joke is this? There is no money for people to buy food, baby food, medicines? What will farmers do?" she asked, adding the situation was not this bad even during the 1975-77 Emergency period.