With Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left parties deciding against aligning with other secular forces, the Congress and Trinamool Congress on Tuesday took a step further towards an alliance in West Bengal for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
As part of their joint strategy, the two parties attempted to surprise the ruling party benches in the Rajya Sabha by claiming two kinds of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes were printed after demonetisation, which “jeopardised the credibility” of the Indian currency. The Congress’ Kapil Sibal demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley clear the air on the issue.
Trinamool members, privy to the strategy, supported the Congress on the issue in the Rajya Sabha. The House adjourned repeatedly and couldn’t transact any business in the post-lunch session.
Leaders of the two parties were also careful not to disclose their strategy to other parties until the morning, particularly to some Samajwadi Party members, lest the government was forewarned.
There was no official reaction from the government. But, a senior finance ministry official said the Congress’ claims were “frivolous” and there was always a possibility of minor design aberrations in notes printed at the government’s four currency presses.
Congress’s Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad and Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien spoke on the issue in the Rajya Sabha. The two parties took care not to give a notice under Rule 267, where they would have needed to spell out the issue, but sought time under Rule 258 of the House that doesn’t warrant specifying the issue but that one of a serious nature is to be raised. A leader claimed that they caught the government “totally by surprise” on the issue.
Sibal said the “discrepancies” in the printing of the new high denomination notes were in terms of their size, design and other features. While the Congress leader said the notes were not fake, he claimed it led to suspicion that all wasn’t above board. “Where were the notes of significantly different sizes printed? Nowhere in the world are currency notes of whatever denominations are of different sizes,” Sibal said. He identified several other “discrepancies” as well.
The Congress and the Trinamool plan to disrupt Rajya Sabha proceedings for the rest of the session until they get a satisfactory reply. However, the two would not disrupt the farewell speeches for outgoing Vice-President M Hamid Ansari and the discussion on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement on Wednesday.
Sibal said the demonetisation move “failed” to achieve its stated objectives of combating black money, corruption, counterfeit currency and terrorism.
“First, they should explain which dye was used (for printing the notes), what types of notes were printed, at which printing press the notes of different sizes were printed.”
The Congress leader said there were messages on social media alleging that BJP leaders had new Rs 2,000 notes with them, even as people were queuing up outside banks and ATMs.
He also accused the BJP of spending a huge amount during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls earlier this year. “How was that possible? The government should tell where the notes were printed,” he said.