New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked all the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs and MLAs to submit their bank account statements from November 08-December 31 to party president Amit Shah on January 01, 2017.
The PM's directive can be seen as a clear message to the party rank and file to lead by example in the government’s big push to cleanse the financial system of the country.
Also, PM Modi seems keen to silence the Opposition, which has been alleging selective leak of information on demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes.demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes.
Addressing a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party, the Prime Minister said now that Race Course Road has been renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg, there is a need to focus on 'garib kalyan' (welfare of the poor).
Speaking about the newly launched PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, the PM Modi said that the government will use funds collected under the scheme to provide basic necessities like water, electricity healthcare and education to the poorest of poor.
The PM also said that the government wants to turn India into a cashless society.
In an apparent response to the charge that the bill to amend IT Act will help turn black money into white, the Prime Minister said the amended Act will channel the money looted from the poor for their welfare.
The amended Act, he said, is a programme for the poor's welfare from Lok Kalyan Marg, the new name of the road where the Prime Minister's residence is located.
"The amendment is not for turning black money into white but to spend the money looted from the poor on their welfare," he said.
Quoting Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters that the bill is part of his government's fight against blackmoney.
A part of the tax collected on the money deposited under this scheme will be spent on electricity, roads, toilets and education among other welfare measures, he said.
PM Modi also sought everybody's support in his effort to usher in digital/mobile economy and push the society towards cashless transactions.
At the meeting, Amit Shah told party MPs to motivate traders in panchayats, municipalities and other local bodies falling in their constituency to shift to cashless transactions.
Asked about impasse in Parliament over demonetisation, Kumar said the government has been ready for discussion from the day one of the Winter session and Modi will also intervene in both the House if the opposition wanted.
The opposition wants discussion under Rule 56 which entails voting, a condition unacceptable to the government.
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