Escalating the attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his note ban decision is not a fight against black money or corruption but is an "economic robbery".
Addressing a public rally at the University Campus College Grounds here, the Congress vice president said the Prime Minister has put "99 per cent people" in the country to hardships and not targeted the "1 per cent super rich" who "held all the black money".He said his party wants to eradicate corruption and if "Modiji takes any step against the menace, Congress party will lend its hundred per cent support"."But this note ban step is not a decision against black money and corruption. This note ban is an economic robbery. It is an attack on the poor of the country," he said.
Gandhi asked the Prime Minister to name those "thieves" who own the black money stashed in Swiss banks. "The Swiss government has provided the list of all black-money holders to the Modi government. Why does he not place the list of thieves before the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha? We want to know who are these thieves. You should put their names before the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha," he said.
"Why didn't you bring back (Vijay) Mallya and Lalit Modi from London?" he asked. Gandhi accused Modi of snatching away the hard-earned money of the country's poor and giving them to banks to write off bad loans. He said demonetisation was introduced to waive Rs 8 lakh crore loans the "super rich" owe.
"Gareebon ka paisa kheencho, amiron ko seencho. 99 per cent imaandaar ka paisa kheencho, 50 pariwaron ko seencho. Yeh hai notebandi ki sachhai, (Take away the money from the poor and help the rich. Take away the money from the 99 per cent honest people and help the 50 super-rich families. This is the truth of note ban)." he said. He used an Amitabh Bachchan song to attack Modi and said his motive is "Ram naam japna, garibon ka maal apna".
"Suck the poor and serve the rich - this is the reality of the suit-boot wali sarkar," he said. He also accused the central government of being callous to people's suffering and claimed the Opposition was not even allowed to mourn the "death of 100 people due to demonetisation".
