Congress protests note ban, IT notices to churches

QUEPEM: Congress held a protest against the BJP government’s demonetization move and issuance of I-T notices to churches, alleging that people had suffered much and notices would adversely affect communal harmony.
Quepem MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar alias Babu other Congress leaders and workers, about 100 in all, gathered outside the deputy collector’s office and shouted slogans against the government.
Kavlekar challenged the Modi government to bring back black money from Swiss banks before taking on the common and middle class people. “Black money business will not be halted by demonetising 500 and 1,000 notes. BJP leaders from Karnataka are spending crores of rupees on weddings even after demonetization and it is clear who has black and undeclared money,” he said.
He added that selective issuance of notices reveals the government’s true colour. Former chairperson of Quepem Municipal Council (QMC) Raul Pereira said, “People are donating money to God. This money cannot be treated as black money. Churches are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India.”
“We are not demanding the rollback of demonetization, but there is no proper implementation and there has been complete mismanagement. Poor people are suffering the most,” said QMC chairperson Filu D’Costa.