Demonetisation: Cong wants debate under Rule 56, BJP wants 'positive debate'

New Delhi: On the 12th day of demonetisation, on Sunday, long queues can be seen outside ATMs since early morning. The banks are closed so the entire focus is on ATMs. Meanwhile, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has said the Narendra Modi government announced the demonetisation of high-value currency notes without any preparation and the Opposition wants a serious discussion on the issue under the rules that entail voting. "The decision was taken in haste, without any preparation. This has hit people at the lower level. 60 people have so far died in queues outside ATMs and banks," he claimed. Kharge said Congress was willing to debate the issue under Rule 56, but the government wanted to discuss it under Rule 193, which does not entail voting. "It is merely a formality. The government is evading questions," he alleged. Asked if the Opposition will allow Parliament to function tomorrow, Kharge said, "The government should agree to a debate on demonetisation under Rule 56. All parameters of a debate will be met under the rule." Attacking the government for failing to bring back black money stashed abroad, he said, "The Modi dispensation has completed two-and-a-half years in office, but has failed to come out with the list of people having accounts in Swiss banks." He claimed that a few BJP leaders were also against the way the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was taken. "The entire House is on the same page in this regard," he said. The Opposition will also try to pin down the government on the issue of One Rank One Pension scheme, the Jammu and Kashmir turmoil and surgical strikes, Kharge added. Meanwhile, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said Congress was running away from a discussion on demonetisation in Parliament even when the government wanted a positive debate and was open to suggestions. He said the government was for a "positive" discussion on the issue in a conducive environment. "It is open to positive suggestions from the Opposition. But the rival parties, especially Congress, do not have anything to say in this regard," Naqvi said. "On the first day of the session, we consented to a debate on the issue of demonetisation and black money without wasting any time. But on the second day, the Opposition, Congress in particular, tried to run away from it," he said. "We are ready for a debate on every issue. We are prepared to answer every question. But we want that Congress stop turning tail and participate in the discussion," the Union Minister of Minority Affairs said. Asked about Congress' demand that a debate on the issue of demonetisation be initiated in Parliament under Rule 56 that entails voting, he said, "The meaning of the debate will be lost if we get bogged down by rules and regulations."