Parties Against Note Ban Like Pak's Cover Fire to Terrorists: Modi

Varanasi: Slamming Opposition for stalling Parliament over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday likened it to the "cover fire" given by Pakistani forces to help terrorists in infiltration and mocked Rahul Gandhi for his "earthquake" remark, saying he has "learnt to speak".

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On a brief tour of his Lok Sabha constituency, his first since announcing demonetisation on November 8, Modi asserted that the note ban will expose not only the 'kala dhan' (black money) but also the 'kale mann' (ill-intentioned people).

The Prime Minister, while addressing a function at Benaras Hindu University after launching some developmental projects for the poll-bound UP, said he had never thought that the Opposition parties would "side with the corrupt", a reference to the stalling of Parliament.

"Many people say I had not taken account the consequences of this huge step (of demonetisation). In fact, the only thing that I could not take into account was the brazenness with which many political parties and leaders came to the rescue of the corrupt," he said.

Charging the Opposition parties, who have been attacking the government over demonetisation, with "brazenly standing in support of the corrupt and the dishonest", Modi said it was like Pakistani forces provide "cover fire" at the border when "terrorists infiltrate into India".

"Now I undersatand for whom the entire uproar was. They have a young leader who is just learning to give speeches. Since the time he has learnt to speak, there is no limit to my happiness," he said, mocking at 46-year-old Rahul.

"In 2009, you couldn't even tell what is inside this packet and what is not. Now we are finding out," the PM said referring to Rahul without naming him.

A day after Rahul accused him of taking money from Sahara and Birla groups when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi said, "He (Rahul) had been going around threatening that when he speaks, there will be an earthquake. If he hadn't spoken, there could have been an earthquake. It would have been an earthquake that people would have had to deal with for 10 years.