Centre should first explain why Rs 2,000 note was introduced

NEW DELHI: The BJP returned to power in the state on March 23, 2020, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Days after the Reserve Bank's announcement of withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh has targeted the Centre saying the government should first explain why the Rs 2,000 note was introduced. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last Friday made a surprise announcement of withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes, but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit the notes in accounts or exchange them at banks.

The RBI said it had asked banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 notes with immediate effect.

Asked about the RBI's decision, Singh on Tuesday told reporters in Indore, ''First they (central government) should explain why these notes were introduced.'' In a major decision ahead of Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday announced that all unauthorised colonies that have come up till December 31, 2022 will be regularised.

Former MP chief minister Singh termed the state government's announcement as ''meaningless''.

''They have made such announcements thousand times. Where is the notification to regularise unauthorised colonies?'' he asked.

On Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently saying in Shivpuri that his heart beats for local people and seeking an apology for the mistakes he may have committed, Singh said, ''It is good that he has sought an apology after realising his mistakes.'' A video of Scindia seen seeking an apology with folded hands and making the comments at an event in Shivpuri has gone viral on social media platforms.

Scindia quit the Congress in 2020 following which 22 party MLAs in Madhya Pradesh also resigned, leading to collapse of the Kamal Nath government in the state on March 20, 2020. The BJP returned to power in the state on March 23, 2020, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.