Mumbai, May 30 (NIE): Following remarks by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, asking who has benefited from demonetization, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said it won’t be surprised if Kumar follows the footsteps of Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, who cited the note ban failure as one of the reasons to quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“Kumar had extended support to PM Narendra Modi’s decision of demonetization stating that it is a fight against black money. Suddenly, he is now asking who has benefited from the note ban. Demonetization neither helped the economy nor the common man. It didn’t destroy black money or terrorism and Naxalism or fake notes,” said an editorial in the Saamana, Sena’s mouthpiece. It further said the claim of an economic revolution was only a ‘virtual truth’. The Reserve Bank of India accepted the ‘real truth’ that the black money had not been flushed out, it said.

The Sena said Naidu, who was also a strong supporter of demonetization, had cited it as one of his reasons to quit the NDA recently. “Now, Kumar has also questioned the note ban, blaming the role of banks. We won’t be surprised if a disillusioned Kumar follows the footsteps of Naidu,” said the editorial.