Demonetisation a 'shrewd scheme' to convert black money of PM Modi's 'suit-booted friends': Rahul Gandhi

The second anniversary of the Modi government's unrivalled demonetisation move has kicked up a storm in social media. Twitter has been flooded with heated arguments between the Centre and opposition parties, who termed the demonetisation one of the biggest "money laundering scam" in the history of India.

Amid this raising controversy, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that demonetisation was a planned "brutal conspiracy" and a "shrewd scheme" to convert the black money of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "suit-booted friends".

Prime Minister Modi on the eve of November 8, 2016, announced a ban on then in use Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations in a bid to curb black money, weed out fake notes and proscribe terror financing from across India.

Gandhi, however, claimed that drawing such meaning out of the move was an insult to the intelligence of the nation, adding that there was nothing innocent about this "scam".

Read | On demonetisation anniversary, Chidambaram attacks Modi government; says Centre trying to capture RBI 

"Note ban was a premeditated brutal conspiracy. This scam was a shrewd scheme to convert the black money of Prime Minister's suit-booted friends to white. Nothing was innocent in this scam. Drawing any other meaning of it would be an insult of the intelligence of the nation," the Congress chief tweeted in Hindi.

नोटबंदी सोच-समझ कर किया गया एक क्रूर षड्यंत्र था। यह घोटाला प्रधानमंत्री के सूट-बूट वाले मित्रों का काला-धन सफेद करने की एक धूर्त स्कीम थी।

इस कांड में कुछ भी मासूम नहीं था| इसका कोई भी दूसरा अर्थ निकालना राष्ट्र की समझ का अपमान है|

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 8, 2018

Earlier in the day, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched a scathing attack on the Centre, saying the "scars and wounds" the demonetisation caused are getting more visible with each passing day. The decision's second anniversary is a day to remember how "economic misadventures" can roil the nation, he added.

Giving another edge to the demonetisation controversy, former finance minister P Chidambaram said the government is trying to capture the RBI ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and will issue a direction under Section 7 of the RBI Act, 1934, directing the bank to transfer Rs 1 lakh crore to the Centre.

Read | Two years on, demonetisation debate continues relentlessly

On the second anniversary of demonetisation, Chidambaram also said that the government is making every possible attempt to push through its proposals at the crucial RBI board meeting on November 19.

In the midst of full-blooded Twitter war, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley came out in support of the BJP government, saying demonetisation resulted in the formalisation of the economy and increased tax base, with the government earmarking more resources for the poor and infrastructure development.