New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the government accusing it of not allowing him to speak in Parliament on demonetisation. He warned that there would be an “earthquake” when he would speak on demonetisation, which he called the “biggest scam”. His comments promptly drew ridicule from the BJP, which said the Congress leader was best known for his political “quackery”, not quakes.

Mr Gandhi, while speaking to reporters outside Parliament, made it clear that the Congress was ready for discussion so that the truth of demonetisation “comes out in the open”. He accused the Opposition of running away from a discussion. The Congress vice-president added that when does get a chance to speak about the issue in the House, “the Prime Minister would not even be able to sit there”, adding that the Prime Minister was giving speeches across the country, but was afraid of coming to the Lok Sabha and sitting there.” He also asked what could be the reason for this “nervousness”.

The Congress had earlier agreed for a debate in the Lok Sabha and wanted its vice-president Rahul Gandhi to start it. However, the ruling party members demanded that the Congress and the entire Opposition should first apologise for disrupting the House for sixteen days. They were referring to the speech of the President of India, in which he attacked the members of both Houses for the chaos and said that the Parliament was a place for debate, not disruption.

Mr Gandhi also said that initially the government spoke about black money, then moved to counterfeit currency and then again to a cashless society campaign. “I want to tell people about the the biggest scam committed by Narendra Modi single handedly” and present the “voice of people, specially poor, who have suffered due to this move”.

He said that Mr Modi should come to the House so that “what demonetisation is, who has benefited from this decision is and what it means for whom” could be discussed.

BJP spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said, “Parliament will run as per the Constitution, not on his arrogance (sic).” Accusing the Congress of holding Parliament to ransom, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said, “Since Day One we (government) have been persuading Congress, TMC and Left parties to participate in the debate, but they showed no inclination and have been changing goal-posts. Today, Mr Gandhi came prepared and they (Congress) wanted all business to be suspended forthwith, so that he could be allowed to speak. But that doesn’t happen. The Congress party may function this way, not the Parliament of India. The country expected him (Rahul Gandhi) and the Congress leadership to be prepared on November 16. If he has some earth-shattering revelations, why has he kept holding on it for so long?”

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and fellow minister Smriti Irani also took a swipe at Mr Gandhi. “May this quake happen when we are not present in Parliament,” Mr Naidu told reporters in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Ms Irani said, “Rahulji thinks too highly about his oratory skills and he himself knows how much his speeches appeal...As far as tremors are concerned. I think when he speaks there are tremors within Congress not outside.”