PM not taking action against his 'industrialist friends': Rahul

Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday charged that no action was being taken against the 'real black marketeers' and the ‘industrialist friends’ of the prime minister.

"Those who are real black-marketeers, those who have Rs 10-20,000 crore, those who go with Modi in planes, action should be taken against them. No action is being taken," he said.

Talking to the people standing in queue at an ATM in Mumbai’s Vakola, Congress vice-president on Wednesday requested the Maharashtra government to help people who are struggling to withdraw cash.

Speaking to the media, Gandhi said Prime Minister Modi has announced the demonetisation drive without any planning or arrangement.

“People are standing here for three to four days. I want to request the Maharashtra chief minister to make some arrangements to help people who are struggling to withdraw cash. There is no arrangement for water. People are really suffering. Modi ji has done this without any planning,” he said.

Gandhi was in Mumbai for the hearing of a defamation case over his alleged comment against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

He was, however, granted bail by the Bhiwandi court.

"There is no investigation or action taken against Modiji's industrialist friends," Rahul said.

"You are being made to stand in queues. Your money will be given to those select 15-20 industrialists. You all know their names. He (Modi) is running their government," the Congress leader alleged.

“The masses are standing in a queue. Do you see any rich person, a big industrialist standing in queue,” Rahul sought to know.

“Did you get Rs 4,000 notes? Did you get indelible ink mark on your hands,” he said.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chavan, in his address to the supporters, said people of Maharashtra are with Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in the struggle against the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s ‘anti-people policies’.

In a stinging attack on Modi on the demonetisation issue, Rahul had on Tuesday night said the prime minister was ‘laughing’ while people were dying in queues outside banks and ATMs to withdraw money and the move will turn out to be a ‘big scam’.

The government did not seem to be going after the ‘big players’ in black money like Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi, he had said.

He also claimed that BJP members were alerted beforehand about the demonetisation.