Demonetisation: Congress Alleges Scam, Jaitley Says Rise Above Slogans

New Delhi: The war of words over demonetisation escalated on Tuesday with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram calling it an assault on the poor and Finance Minister Jaitley hitting back saying the anti-black money drive was making the Opposition uncomfortable.

The exchanges between the two sides come amid reports indicating a possible drop in support for demonetisation due to the continuing currency crunch, job loss and rural distress.

Chidambaram tore into the demonetisation math saying that if the Rs 15 lakh crore in banned currency returned to banks then there would be questions raised on the rationale behind the entire exercise.Also Read: Probe How New Rs 2,000 Notes Reached Hoarders, Says Chidambaram

He also said the situation would take at least seven months to normalise, given that government printing presses cannot release new notes worth more than Rs 300 crore per month even if they work full time.

Rahul Gandhi, while interacting with traders in Dadri in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of continuously changing his narrative on the currency ban and questioned his stated aim of creating a "cashless" economy.Also Read: PM Modi Couldn't Recover Money from Corporates, so Introduced Demonetisation, says Rahul

"The poor and honest queuing up outside banks and ATMs" continue to suffer he said, adding, "one will not find a single rich or black money hoarder there".

Jaitley hit back strongly reminding the Congress that it had "failed to raise its voice" against corruption and black money during its tenure.

"Corruption scams peaked during Congress rule. Given this scandalous record, it is uncomfortable with anti-corruption steps. So it's understandable that they are uncomfortable with this strong step taken by the Modi government," Jaitley said.Also Read: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Urges Opposition to Rise Above Slogans And Join Demonetisation Campaign

Reacting to Chidambaram's question on how bundles of freshly-minted Rs 2000 notes made it to hoarders while there was shortage in banks and ATMs, Jaitley said there was a probe to nab "unscrupulous elements" who were trying to subvert the system.

He also urged Congress leaders to "rise above slogans" and debate demonetisation in the ongoing session of Parliament.