NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday cited an RTI reply dated May 7, 2018 to term demonetisation as a big scam and charge that the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank, whose directors include BJP president Amit Shah, received the highest amount of old demonetized notes, worth Rs 745.58 crore, in just five days after the note ban was announced on November 8, 2016.
The Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank is the only one of the 370 district cooperative banks across the country to receive such a large sum of demonetised notes in five days.
“ADCB chairman Ajay Patel is a prominent BJP leader, a close associate of Amit Shah,” said Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala, adding, “five days after demonetisation, all cooperative banks were banned from accepting demonetised notes with the pretence of preventing money laundering through them.”
According to Surjewala, in 11 district cooperative banks in Gujarat headed by BJP leaders, including Ahmedabad DCB and Rajkot DCB, Rs 3,118.51 crore worth of old notes were deposited within five days of demonetisation.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also took a dig at Shah.
“Congratulations Amit Shah ji , Director, Ahmedabad Dist. Cooperative Bank, on your bank winning 1st prize in the conversion of old notes to new race. 750 Cr in 5 days! Millions of Indians whose lives were destroyed by demonetisation, salute your achievement,” Rahul tweeted.
The Congress slammed PM Narendra Modi, who “choreographed demonetisation, leaving out window for black money hoarders to benefit”, and urged Shah to come out with details of properties purchased by his party before the note ban.
“In the run-up to decision of demonetisation, BJP and RSS purchased properties running into hundreds of crores across the country. Congress had released details of eight properties valuing Rs 3.41 crore in Bihar and 18 properties in Odisha. Actual market value of these properties is much higher. Despite this, Shri Narendra Modi and Shri Amit Shah have refused to make public the details of properties purchased by BJP/RSS in the last 19 months,” said Surjewala.