2017 going to be a happy New Year for the honest: Union Minister Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Piyush Goyal today rubbished Rahul Gandhi's five questions, stating that the Congress vice president has no knowledge of "the high level of economics". The Minister of State (MoS) also termed the demonetisation move as a resounding success.

Rahul Gandhi today tweeted his five questions to the PM, which he first posed during a conference a day earlier.

Rahul Gandhi has asked the PM to tell how much black money has been recovered after November 8 when the demonetisation scheme was announced. He wanted the PM to tell the nation about the job losses due to the note ban, about people who lost their lives and compensation paid to them, and about people who were consulted about demonetisation before its implementation.


Rahul also asked the government to reveal the list of persons who deposited Rs 25 lakh in bank accounts, in six months preceding November 8.

On Rahul Gandhi's question as whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi consulted before implementing the scheme, Goyal said that to keep the note ban scheme a secret very few people were kept in the loop.

"The entire move had to be kept a secret...The RBI recommended it, the government of India took this bold move," he said.

On the various changes to the demonetisation scheme, the MoS said, "We are a responsible government. We are responsive to changing situations...If we found a problem, we try to solve it. If we found somebody misusing the system or the available benefits, we try to stop it."

Hailing, the demonetisation scheme, Goyal said that it will widen tax base and help the government serve people better. He also allied fears about available cash saying that there is "enough cash" in the market now and "more is being pumped into the market".

Piyush Goyal also dismissed Oppositions' allegations about job losses and deaths saying that the government has no credible information on the same and that the Opposition is "flustered with the success of demonetisation move" and that's why they are making such allegations.

"2017 is going to be a better year for the honest. It is going to be a happy New Year for the honest," he added.