Targeting the Centre’s demonetisation move, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken blood out of the veins of 99 per cent Indians without even telling them.
"It is against 99 per cent people of India, against farmers and labourers. Without seeking their permission, Modi has taken blood out of their veins," Rahul said.
Speaking at a rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said the decision made on November 8 was not against black money or corruption, but against farmers and the poor.
At a rally in Jaunpur in Eastern UP, Gandhi stopped people from hurling invective against Modi, saying he is the Prime Minister and "we must not say 'murdabad' (Down with) for anyone".
“Modi ji is India’s Prime Minister and our fight with him is political. We have differences of opinion with Modi and the BJP. ‘Modi Murdabad’ slogans will not be used in Congress meetings,” he said.
Such language is used by ‘RSS people’, he said.
As Gandhi began his speech at the rally, some people from among the crowd shouted slogans against Modi which the Congress VP insisted to stop.
Attacking the Prime Minister, Rahul said 50 families in India have most of the country's wealth, courtesy Narendra Modi who takes members of their families with him in his plane on his trips abroad.
"60 per cent of the country's wealth is amassed by the rich. Most of the wealth is with only 50 families of the country. It is courtesy Modiji. I don't want to name these families, as you know them... Members of these families travel with the Prime Minister on his plane when he goes to the US, China..," he said addressing a 'Janakrosh Rally' here.
This was his first rally in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh after the Winter Session of Parliament which was washed out over demonetisation.
Last week, Rahul had threatened to "expose personal corruption of Modi" while claiming that he was not being allowed to speak in Parliament as it would lead to an "earthquake".
He said 99 per cent of the people of the country are honest who sweat it out to earn their living but "the Prime Minister mocks at them in Parliament."
Insisting that "All cash is not black and all black money is not in cash", the Congress leader said, "94 per cent black money is stashed away in foreign banks, real estate and investment in land deals and gold. But why is PM running after only the rest 6 per cent?"
He said only one per cent people have 60 per cent of the country's wealth and that "Modi has made fun of 99 per cent honest people through demonetisation".
Rahul alleged that Modi had waived Rs 1,200 crore loan of Vijay Malya and Rs 1.10 lakh crore taken by 50 wealthy families, but did not care about writing off farmers' loans.
The Congress leader, who had undertaken a 'Deoria to Delhi' padayatra to highlight the plight of farmers, said he had met the Prime Minister to seek waiver of farmers' loans but the latter was non-committal.
The purpose of note ban was "Garib ka khincho, Amir ko sincho (extract from the poor and help the rich)", he said.
In a poser to the Prime Minister, Rahul asked, "In September, before your speech (announcing note ban on November 8), how come six lakh crore rupees were deposited in banks all over the country?"
The Congress leader went on to add, "Such a huge sum has never been deposited in the history of the country. There should be an answer as to whose money it was and how come it was deposited just before the note ban annoncement."
He said, "Since Modi does not have a reply to it, every Congress worker needs to tell the truth of demonetisation and truth of suit-boot government to the country."
The Congress leader exhorted partymen to visit each household and tell farmers and labourers that "Narendra Modi has snatched your cash and on its basis, the loans of the wealthy is going to be waived."
Citing an example of a flower seller in Bengaluru, Rahul said all her transactions used to be in cash and after demonetisation, she has been left to beg for her living.
"Normally a person donating blood has to go to donation camp to give it on his own free will but Modi has extracted blood of 99 per cent poor and honest people without seeking their consent," he said.
"Modi has ruined small industries through note ban... labourers survive on daily wages...we gave MNREGS and you snatched their money...Modi wants that the money of poor and honest remain in banks for as long as possible so a maximum limit was fixed for all withdrawlas and rules have been changed a 100 times," he said.
Alleging that Modi cannot recover the loans of 50 wealthy families as they have made him the PM, Rahul said note ban was brought to waive it.
Rahul said Modi talked about black money, fake currency and then about terror funding to justify note ban and now when all these have failed, he is talking about cashless economy.
But the reality is that five per cent of the money withdrawn from the accounts will go to the pockets of Modi's friends, he claimed.
He said the Congress would have assisted any move of the government to weed out corruption and black money from India but "the decision on demonetisation was neither against corruption, nor against black money".
He said: "We want to root out corruption from India. If the government takes any decisions against corruption, we will support it 100 per cent."
Noting that all cash is not black and all black money is not in cash, Rahul said, “94 per cent black money is stashed away in foreign banks, real estate and investment in land deals and gold, but why PM is running only after the rest 6 per cent.”
