All parties must fight currency ban: Mamata

KOLKATA: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged all parties to rise above politics and defeat Narendra Modi’s demonetisation drive. Speaking at the state Assembly, she said it’s high time for all parties to fight demonetisation which is crippling the country's economy.

She also urged the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officials not to follow the Centre’s instruction without consulting the state government.

“You are state government employees. Often the Centre asks you to implement some of their decisions directly without consulting the state government.

I request you not to do so as you are employed by the state government,” Banerjee told the annual general function of the WBCS Association.

Mamata led a demonstration in Delhi last month, addressed two rallies at Lucknow and Patna to oppose the demonetisation.

“The PM is busy doing ads for Paytm now. Have you ever seen a PM endorse private companies? Has Modi babu bothered to see the darkness beneath the lamp, or is he aware of the number of villages without banks? And he talks of cashless payments," the Bengal chief minister said.

She also alleged that there was discrimination between BJP-ruled and non-BJP ruled states with respect to supply of currency notes.