Note ban choked flow of funds to terrorists, Naxals: Nirmala Sitharaman

Demonetisation has choked the flow of funds to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir besides adversely impacting the left wing extremism in several parts of the country, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today.

She also said that the number of incidents of stone pelting in Kashmir has come down since summer and suggested that it was the result of fund crunch being faced by terror outfits due to the note ban.

"The data shows flow of funds to the terrorists has clearly been choked after demonetisation," Sitharaman told reporters on the sidelines of a book release event.

She said the terrorists are "really running short of funds. There have been a lot of attempted bank robberies and it clerly shows that demonetisation or withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes has affected the flow of funds for terrorism."

She said demonetisation has adversely impacted the left wing extremism also.

Asked about a media report that Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi had written a letter to then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 2004 on the Tehelka issue, Sitharaman said, "I do not think it is any longer surprising to know that remote control operations were really running the government of that day."

Earlier, Sitharaman released a book titled "Raj to Swaraj" authored by former governor of Assama and Jammu and Kashmir Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha.

The book is an anecdotal account of various events and phases of Sinha's life.

Sinha was a former Vice-Chief of Army Staff. He died in November last year.

"I think the book beautifully reflects and faithfully records India's seven decades which were important," said Sitharaman at the event.

The defence minister said the current government respects each one of the country's soldiers.