Govt rejects allegation
Our Correspondent
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today claimed that he had explosive information on “personal corruption” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that would “explode his balloon” but he was not being allowed to speak in the Parliament.
“Read my lips… the PM is personally terrified of the information I have, we have. It is personal corruption of the PM that we have detailed information on,” the Congress Number 2 declared, flanked by leaders of 16 opposition parties as he spoke to the media in Parliament House.
“My information is personal information on Narendra Modi ji, which I want to put out in the Lok Sabha. I want to say it there as an elected member of parliament,” he added.
The ruling BJP immediately shot back that “Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself.”
The opposition spoke to the press shortly after the Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid noisy protests against the government’s decision to ban 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to check tax evasion, leaving 86 per cent of the cash in circulation completely worthless.
The Congress, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and other opposition parties allege that the PM’s decision has left millions desperate for cash.
Mr Gandhi, who has repeatedly targeted PM Modi on the notes ban, had said last week, “If they allow me to speak in parliament you’ll see what an earthquake is going to come”.
The government says PM Modi is ready to speak in a debate on the notes ban but the opposition has refused to relent on its demand for a debate followed by voting.
As the Prime Minister sat in the Lok Sabha this morning, it was adjourned within minutes amid slogan shouting, in an indication that the last three days of the winter session are likely to be washed out.
“Rahul Gandhi is making a joke of himself…his party is blocking parliament, not us,” said BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao.