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Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu urged the Centre to withdraw high-denomination notes and shift to digital payments to combat corruption, emphasising transparency in donations
N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised the need for transparency in political donations.
In a bold reiteration of his long-standing demand for sweeping financial reform, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged the Centre to withdraw high-denomination currency notes and aggressively pivot to digital payments, a move he insists will strike at the root of corruption in politics and public life. Addressing thousands of party members during the inaugural session of Mahanadu, an annual three-day mega convention of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in Kadapa district, Naidu called for the demonetisation of Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 notes, and emphasised the need for a full-fledged transition to a digital currency ecosystem.
Naidu recalled that after the 2016 demonetisation drive, he had suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce digital currency so that if there was any kind of corruption, they were able to detect it, reported The Print. He said that digital payments would bring unprecedented transparency to political donations and spending, a sector long dogged by allegations of black money and opaque funding. Naidu, an NDA ally, had reportedly chaired a central committee under the NITI Aayog tasked with charting a roadmap to a cashless economy.
His speech at the recent Mahanadu, which marks a significant moment in TDP’s calendar, was infused with both ideological commitment and strategic messaging. Naidu linked financial reform with governance reform, arguing that a digital-first economy could close the gaps through which corruption seeps into everyday transactions.
“Today, I would like to appeal to this House again, this is the world of digital currency,” he said, pointing to how the TDP has begun accepting donations through QR codes, rendering outdated the traditional reliance on cash. If someone had to donate for party activities, first we had to check a list. But now it is not like that. The donations can be accessed by cadres and the public through a QR code. There is no need to distribute Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 notes, he further stated.
At a time when electoral funding reform remains a contentious issue and cash continues to dominate large swathes of the informal economy, Naidu’s revived pitch for digital currency is likely to resonate not just with his party faithful but also with policymakers across the country.
- Location :
Kadapa (Cuddapah), India, India
- First Published:
