The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Reserve Bank of India printed two different types of Rs 500 notes and called it the “biggest scam of the century”, NDTV reported. Displaying two images of notes of Rs 500, the Congress told members of the Rajya Sabha that they were of different shapes and sizes.
“Today we have discovered why the government took the demonetisation decision,” Congress leader Kapil Sibal said. “The RBI prints two types of currency notes. These are of different size and different design. How is it possible?”
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that one kind of note was “for the party [Bharatiya Janata Party]” and the other “for the government”. “We never printed two kinds of notes, one for the party and one for the government - there are two kinds of Rs 500 notes and two kinds of Rs 2,000 notes.”
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, however, accused the Congress of making irresponsible statements, and claimed that the party was misuing the Zero Hour. He later said he would verify the authenticity of the notes. “Given such a big print run there can be an odd case of a currency note being slightly bigger or not.”
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned following the incident.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!