Demonetisation aimed at diverting attention from PM Modi's corruption: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad

Alleging that the demonetisation exercise was undertaken to "divert the attention of opposition parties from the charges of personal corruption against Prime Minister Narendra Modi", Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad said on Thursday the party wanted an impartial probe and sought to know why was Modi "afraid" to face an inquiry.

"When allegations of corruption were levelled against Sheila Dikshit by the BJP, she had clearly stated that she was ready for any probe to bring out the truth. So, why is Narendra Modi shying away from investigation? We want an impartial probe," he said.

Ahmad alleged that the entire demonetisation move was directed to divert the attention of the opposition parties from the charges of the prime minister's personal corruption.

"What has happened in the name of demonetisation is the role reversal of Robin Hood. About Rs 1,40,000 crore owned by some industrialists have been written off, while the money of the poor is stuck in the banks. Why is the Modi government not waiving the loans of poor farmers as the Congress had done during the UPA regime," he asked.

The Congress leader also alleged that the RBI had "compromised with its autonomy" as regards the demonetisation drive. "RBI was supposed to be an autonomous institution. It has undoubtedly compromised on its autonomy," he said.