Happy at Centre’s decision on Rs 2000 note: Chidambaram

CHENNAI: Senior leader of the Congress party and former Union Minister for Finance P. Chidambaram said that he was happy at the Union government's decision to withdraw the Rs 2000 currency note from circulation.

He said that the government took seven years to rectify the mistake it had made.

The former union minister was speaking to reporters at Karaikudi on Sunday.

Chidambaram said that he expected the Government of India to reintroduce the Rs 1000 currency note in the market and added that withdrawing Rs 1000 and Rs 500 currency notes were a grave mistake and not accepted by the people of the country.

The senior leader of the Congress party said that the opposition had then vehemently opposed the introduction of Rs 2000 notes in the market and said that it was a move to curb circulation of black money from the country.

He said that the Union government had then claimed that the black money was in circulation in the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 and hence withdrew those currency notes and introduced the new Rs 2000 notes which was not only a mistake but a hasty move.

The former finance minister lamented that the move of the Government of India had confused the common man.

Chidambaram said that the Union government was now a 'Tughlak Darbar' mocking at the Centre's moves on reintroducing Rs 500 denominations and withdrawing the newly introduced Rs 2000 currency notes.