KOLKATA: Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday alleged that the state's BJP unit knew about the demonetisation beforehand and deposited Rs 1 crore in Rs 1000 and Rs 500 currency notes in the party account of a nationalised bank just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced scrapping of high value notes at 8 pm on Tuesday.
Addressing a press meet at the state Assembly, CPM MLA and Left Front leader Sujan Chakraborty said the BJP tried to convert black money into white just hours before the demonetisation.
"How much coincidentally can the state BJP deposit such a huge amount just before the announcement (of demonetisation), " he asked.
CPM mouthpiece 'Ganashakti' on Friday claimed that Rs 60 lakh and Rs 40 lakh was deposited in two transactions in bank account of BJP's state unit in central Kolkata on November 8 afternoon.
The BJP unit called the transaction pure coincidence and claimed they were not aware of the Centre's move.
"It was a regular transaction and was coincidentally on November 8," a senior party functionary told mediamen on Friday.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the money was meant for the upcoming by polls in the state slated for November 19.
Meanwhile, a newspaper clipping of Gujarati newspaper 'Akila' stating that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have went out of circulation some seven months before the actual demonetisation is making rounds in the social media, giving rise to speculation that the saffron party insiders knew what was coming.
The article published on April 1 this year says that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have been scrapped.
The editor of the newspaper reportedly said that it was an 'April fool spoof' which came true.