JOIN USCongress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday sought to describe Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “super PM” for taking the “biggest economic decision” of demonetisation without consulting anyone.
Rahul, who interacted with people queuing at various ATMs early Monday morning, also accused the prime minister of favouring a few of his friends through the decision to scrap high-value currency notes. “I am not sure what to call him… a super PM, perhaps. … He is on a different level these days,” Rahul told reporters outside Parliament.
Sharing his experiences at ATMs in the capital, the Congress vice-president said people were facing lot of inconvenience and accused banks of striking “backdoor deals” for a select few while others waited in serpentine queues to exchange notes.
“They said they are in the queue and deals are being made and cash is taken out from back door. And some selected people are given that cash,” Rahul said.
“I feel the treasuries of the PM’s own 15 or 20 people will be filled up and their loans will be waived. Poor people who are in the queue will only suffer losses,” he said. The Congress has accused the Modi government of writing off loans owed by industrialists, including Vijay Mallya. This was Rahul’s third visit to an ATM since banks started dispensing new currency notes from November 10.
To a question on Modi’s absence from Parliament, Rahul said: “What is the need for the PM to come to Parliament? These days he is at a different level. Neither he discusses with his ministers nor does he talk to anybody. Whatever he thinks, he decides on his own.”
Rahul said a big economic decision such as demonetisation was taken in the history of India and the prime minister took it after talking to three-four people.
“There was no planning. What will happen to farmers, poor people, fisheries industries in Kerala and Bengal? He did not think of them,” the Congress scion said.