Tejashwi mocks Nitish for questioning demonetisation benefits
Patna, May 27: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday mocked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying the latter had supported demonetisation but was now questioning it, and soon he will describe demonetisation as the biggest scam of India.
A day after Nitish Kumar questioned the benefits of the much-hyped demonetisation move to the common people and slammed banks that allegedly helped the rich and powerful to manage their cash following the central government's November 8, 2016 move, Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, said: "Our beloved Nitish Chacha took another sharp U-turn."
Tejashwi Yadav, the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister tweeted: "He (Nitish Kumar) supported demonetisation but is now questioning it. He is always years behind in understanding the issues, difficulties and demands of common people. Don't be surprised if he calls demonetisation the biggest scam of India."
Nitish Kumar on Saturday surprised not only his ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders here but his own party leaders when he questioned the benefits of demonetisation.
"I was supporter of demonetisation... but how many people benefited from it? Some powerful people shifted their cash from one place to another," the Bihar Chief Minister said at a meeting with bank officials here.
It is for the first time that Nitish Kumar, who is also the president of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) -- a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally -- has questioned the demonetisation move of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
Incidentally, Nitish Kumar's utterances against the December 2016 demonetisation move came on a day when the BJP was celebrating completion of four years of the Modi government at the Centre.
After the Chief Minister expressed his reservations about the benefits of demonetisation, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who was also present, downplayed his statement, saying: "Nitish Kumar has been a supporter of demonetisation."
In 2016, Kumar, then part of the Grand Alliance of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, had supported demonetisation, while RJD chief Lalu Prasad had opposed the move.
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3 Indian students among those injured in Australia’s Bondi Beach attack
Melbourne (PTI): Three Indian students were among 40 people injured in the terrorist attack on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Two out of these three students are believed to be receiving treatment in the hospital, The Australia Today news portal reported.
The names of the Indian students injured during Sunday's attack have not been disclosed yet.
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The Indian students sustained injuries during the shooting, and their exact condition has not been formally confirmed yet, it said.
Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, 50, opened fire on a gathering during the Jewish festival Hanukkah by the Sea celebration.
At least 15 people were killed in the attack, including a 10-year-old child. Five of the injured remain in critical condition, while two injured police officers are in serious but stable condition, it added.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the investigation is expanding as new information emerges, including international travel by the alleged attackers and the discovery of extremist material, the report said.
