Yechury compares Modi with French queen Marie Antoinette

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation issue and compared the latter to 18th century French queen Marie Antoinette.

New Delhi, Nov 16: CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation issue and compared the latter to 18th century French queen Marie Antoinette.

Yechury slammed Modi for promoting "plastic money" by banning the use of higher value currency notes.

"Now we have Modi Antoinette, "If you don't have paper, use plastic"; what is the coverage of your plastic money?," he said in the Rajya Sabha .

According to a legend, French queen Marie Antoinette is supposed to have told starving French peasants, who did not have bread, to eat cakes instead.

"Let them eat cake!," is the famous saying that Antoinette is attributed to.

He also held the government responsible for the incovenience faced by the people due to cash crunch.

"Today what is called demonetisation is 86% of our cash transaction;country today is living on cash transaction of 14%," he added.

Earlier today, Congress leader Anand Sharma launched an attack on the Central Government over the demonetisation issue and asked Prime Minister Modi to apologise for causing grave incovenience to people.

Prime Minister Modi, had on November 8, announced that all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 rupee notes would cease to be valid in all forms of transactions in a bid to tackle hoarding of black money, corruption and terror financing.

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