Flood relief: Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy flagging off a truck carrying material to Kerala, in Puducherry on Thursday. | Photo Credit: S_S_KUMAR more-in Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on Thursday lashed out at the Centre over the arrest of five human rights activists from several States in the country. He told presspersons here that the country had been facing an undeclared emergency. “In a democracy, freedom of thought and speech are the fundamental rights of people. By arresting six progressive thinkers, the Centre was trying to undermine their constitutional rights,” he said. On demonetisation, the Chief Minister said the explanation given by the Reserve Bank of India that around 99% of the demonetised ?500 and ?1,000 notes had returned to the banking system exposed the Centre’s claim on black money crackdown. The decision was a failure in tackling corruption, he said. The Prime Minister should explain to the people the benefits of demonetisation. “The economy has taken a heavy toll. Several people have been rendered jobless because of closure of industries,” he said. The decision to ban high-value currency notes was a serious mistake committed by the Union Government, he said. “The Prime Minister should own responsibility for the grave situation,” Mr. Narayanasamy said. Fuel prices The Chief Minister criticised the Centre for its failure to control the fuel prices. The rising cost of petroleum products had taken a toll on the common man, he said. Mr. Narayanasamy said the government would hand over ?10 crore to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Earlier, the Chief Minister flagged off a truck load of relief material to Kerala.

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