DeMo anniversary: Rahul terms it 'terror attack'

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday launched a multi-pronged attack on the Modi government over its 2016 move of demonetisation with former party chief Rahul Gandhi terming it a "terror attack" that "devastated" the economy and "took many lives".

The opposition party also likened the notes ban move to Muhammad Bin Tughlaq rendering currency useless in 1330 and questioned the "silence" of those in power on the third anniversary of demonetisation.

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes would cease to be legal tender.

In a scathing attack on the government, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "It's 3 yrs since the Demonetisation terror attack that devastated the Indian economy, taking many lives, wiping out lakhs of small businesses & leaving millions of Indians unemployed."

Those behind this "vicious attack" have yet to be brought to justice, the former Congress president said, using the hashtag 'DeMonetisation Disaster'.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hit out at the Modi government for claiming that demonetisation was a "slayer of all evils", saying it proved to be a "disaster" that has all but destroyed the economy.

"Three years since demonetisation and every claim made by the government and those hailing it as a slayer of all evils has been turned on its head. It proved to be a disaster that has all but destroyed our economy," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

Using the hashtag 'DeMonetisation Disaster', she said "anyone want to claim responsibility?"

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for the demonetisation move, describing him as "today's Tughlaq".

"Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq rendered the country's currency useless in the year 1330. Today's Tughlaq did the same on November 8, 2016," he said in a tweet.

"Three years have passed and the country is suffering because- economy collapsed, employment lost. Neither terrorism stopped, nor the business of fake notes," he said and asked who is responsible.

Surjewala also cited global rating agency Moody's lowering the outlook on the government of India's ratings to negative, to claim that demonetisation was a "man-made catastrophe".

He questioned the "silence" of those in power on the third anniversary of demonetisation.