Congress' Adhir Defends 'Pagla Modi' Remark Over Rs 2,000 Row After Backlash, Says 'People Call Him That'

Defending his ‘Pagla Modi’ comment, Congress leader Adhir Rajan Chowdhury issued a clarification and said that he was just saying what the “sentiments” of public is and was just conveying how the people are reacting to PM’s decisioin of withdrawing Rs 2000 notes.

While addressing a press conference on the issue of Rs 2000 notes, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said: “…he is not Modi but pagla Modi. People called him pagla Modi.”

Chowdhury commented on the recent meeting between AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, stating, “There is growing frustration among the people of India towards Modi. People are referring to Modi as ‘pagal’ Modi. With public sentiment turning against Modi, parties like AAP and TMC are attempting to regain relevance.”

BJP’s Bengal Chief Sukanta Majumder, however, condemned Ranjan’s remark. Majumder took to Twitter and wrote: “Congress leader Adhir Ranjan abuses PM Modi again and calls him ‘Pagla’. He has used the abusive language again and again. He is a repeated offender. I strongly condemn this. He should apologise immediately.”

Opposition leaders had also attacked the government over the withdrawal of Rs 2000 currency notes from circulation with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee describing it as “Tughlaqi demonetisation drama” and Congress wondering if this was the second “notebandi” exercise.

The BJP rejected this was any sort of demonetisation and instead reminded the Congress that even during the rule of Manmohan Singh, old currency notes were taken off circulation.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday made the surprise announcement but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit Rs 2000 notes in accounts or exchange them at banks.

It said it had asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2000 notes with immediate effect.

Banerjee said this move would “hit common people hard once again”.

In a tweet, she said, “Another whimsical and Tughlaqi demonetisation drama of Rs 2,000 notes will hit the common people hard once again by subjecting them to massive harassment. These imperious measures are meant to camouflage the fundamentally anti-people & crony capitalist nature of this regime.