Demonetisation is the great leveller for political parties: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Taking a dig at the Opposition’s criticism of demonetisation, BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday sought to comfort parties that there is a “level playing field” as far as problems being faced by them and the ruling party.

“If it causes problems, it will cause problems for all. It will be a level playing field. We want that black money is removed from the system, it is they who don’t want it,” Shah was quoted by PTI as having said during an event organised by a media company.

The BJP president, however, made light of Opposition’s attack, saying that till November 8, they were asking “what are you doing on black money and now they are saying why are you taking action against black money”.

The ruling party president asserted that demonetisation has “changed the rules of the game by dealing a blow to blackmoney” which was used in elections.

Shah, in particular, took a dig at BSP supremo Mayawati for her attack on the government dubbing demonetisation as financial emergency. In fact, reacting to a question about Mayawati’s barb, Shah responded with a jibe saying it was definitely so (financial emergency) for her party.

In the context of forthcoming UP elections, Shah today asserted that polls will be contested on performance and not on caste and nepotism.

“In the upcoming UP elections, the politics of caste, the politics of nepotism will be coming to an end and the politics of performance will take centre-stage,” Shah said.

With Mayawati launching a fresh attack on Narendra Modi government today, the BJP reacted stringly saying that the BSP supremo was rattled by demonetisation. “Those who collected money in the name of Dalits and the poor has been rattled and are desperate with Modi’s work for their uplift.

All the money collected by her through corrupt means has been left worthless. Her charges against him are politically motivated and baseless,” BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said in reaction to Mayawati’s attack, reminding that PM has dedicated his government to the welfare of the poor.