Kejriwal's demand doomed? 'Only Gandhiji on Indian currency notes', ruled RBI in 2010
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Oct, 2022 12:26 PM
Mumbai, Oct 26 (IANS) Amidst the 'unholy' row kicked up by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to include photos of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh on Indian Currency Notes, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Centre had already put a lid on the issue way back in 2010.
An RTI reply to this effect on the Indian Currency Note (ICN) was sent by the Department of Economic Affairs' Additional Secretary Manisha Sinha to a Pune businessman Prafful Sarda in 2019.
The government said that a high-level panel (October 2010) constituted by the RBI had deliberated at length on the need for inclusion of other eminent personalities, Bharat Ratnas, Nobel laureates, freedom fighters or sports persons on the ICN design.
The High-Level Screening Committee - set up on the advice of the then Government of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh - felt that "no other personality could better represent the ethos of India better than Mahatma Gandhi".
"Therefore, it was decided to retain the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on the obverse of banknotes and on the watermark. Government has approved the recommendation," declared the RTI reply of November 11, 2019, sent from the North Block.
"I had asked the PMO to consider printing the photos of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar or Sardar Patel on the ICN after which the government gave the reply and the matter rested. It proves that the Delhi CM has only vested political motives behind his latest demand," Sarda said.
The plea to the PMO was in view of the various demands to add pictures of other personalities on ICNs that keep cropping up frequently, he added.
Later, a former MP of All India Trinamool Congress and former cricketer Kirti Azad had raised the issue in Parliament for including other prominent personalities on the ICNs, but the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had cited the RBI panel's report in response.
As Kejriwal faces flak now, Maharashtra Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe hit out saying the 'IIT graduate' Delhi CM was 'pontificating like a pandit or soothsayer' with his ridiculous suggestions.
"Why doesn't he talk about all his unfulfilled promises, or the failures of the BJP government in the past over eight years, instead of coming up with such meaningless ideas to solve the country's economic crises," Londhe added sharply.
Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, state Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant cautioned that if it happens, "then the currency notes with pictures of Gods and Goddesses will be circulated in bars, abattoirs, fish markets or non-vegetarian restaurants, then what will you do?"
Shiv Sena Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said that while the BJP supporters may not object to this, "what's the guarantee that this measure will solve all the ills of the country like inflation, unemployment, economic mess, etc., perpetrated by the BJP for so many years".
On the other hand, an NRI from the US, Ketan Kakkad feels that "nothing is wrong per se with Kejriwal's demand", especially since the world's largest Islamic country Indonesia has a photo of Lord Ganesh on its 'Rupiah' currency notes, though the Hindu population there is only three per cent of the total.
"My question to Kejriwal is - along with Lord Ganesha's photos, why don't you also propose religious symbols/photos of other Indian minority communities like Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Jains, etc., which account for 20 per cent of the total population here? I am sure even the BJP, RSS or AIMIM won't object to this," said Kakkad.
Adopting a 'wait-and-watch' attitude, the Nationalist Congress Party has decided to maintain a 'divine' silence over the Kejriwal political fracas - for the present.
Khan was said to be very close to Moosewala and the Bhambia Gang. Moosewala used to call her sister. Lawrence Bishnoi gang allegedly killed Moosewala to avenge the death of Vicky Middukhera. But before committing the murder of Moosewala, a number of persons of the Punjabi Pop Industry were threatened and a few were also attacked.
Doctors said that the man's life could have been saved had he been brought to the hospital in time. The victim was the only son of his parents and was looking after the family business after the death of his father. He got married two years ago and his wife is four months pregnant.
Their family and well-wishers in Punjab say they were employed by a private company. They were sacked from their jobs, but their passports were not returned and were unable to return to India. Social activist Dilbagh Singh has written to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking their early extradition.
While campaigning in favour of AAP candidate Satinder Singh for by poll in Adampur in Haryana, the Chief Minister said the people of Punjab are trusting them, and AAP will never let this trust be broken at any cost. He said now it is Haryana's turn and the beginning of this change in Haryana will begin from the Adampur constituency.
The Indian embassy further advised citizens to contact it for any assistance needed for crossing the border. It also advised the citizens to contact Indian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as per their exit plans.
According to data shared by Delhi Police, from October 1 to 24, a total of 17,357.134 kg firecrackers were seized which were kept for storage or sale and a total of 150 firecrackers sales were registered.
