The Lok Sabha was adjourned shortly after noon on Wednesday, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the session in the house. Modi was expected to address the house regarding demonetisation. Opposition parties have disrupted both houses of Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session, which began on November 16, over the Centre’s move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. They have also been demanding the prime minister make a statement in the house.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress on Tuesday had issued whips to party legislators in both houses of Parliament, asking them to be present for the remainder of the Winter Session, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday. The report suggested that the Centre had reached an informal agreement with the Opposition on the issue of having a debate on demonetisation.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged the Lok Sabha was adjourned on Wednesday as he had information on Modi’s “corruption”. “But we are not allowed to speak... PM is afraid if he lets me speak then his ballon will burst,” he claimed. The Congress had earlier also given a notice for a discussion on the alleged scam in Arunachal Pradesh involving Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.

Both the Congress and the BJP have accused each other of wanting to avoid a discussion on the discontinuation of high-value currency notes. On Tuesday, former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram compared the demonetisation of the notes to a natural calamity and said its biggest impact would be felt in rural India.

During his address in the Rajya Sabha on November 24, former prime minister Manmohan Singh had described the move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as a form of “organised loot” and said it would reduce the country’s GDP by 2% or more. The country has been grappling with a cash crunch since the move was announced.