No debate and voting on demonetisation : Naidu rejects Opposition demand

In what came as a fun on the single-point agenda of the Congress-led Opposition that blocked most of the proceedings for most of the session wanting the Government to succumb, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkiah Naidu instead said, voting has "already happened in the 2014 (national election) and Time magazine" (PM Modi being adjudged TIME Person of the Year).

"PM Modi has got mandate in recent bypolls (in 6 states and one Union territory). Internationally TIME magazine too has chosen him as Person of the year," Naidu said, adding, "What more they (opposition) want?," he asked.

Alleging that it is the Opposition  which is responsible for  no debate, Naidu also asked them to apologise to the country for not letting Parliament function over the issue of demonetisation.

"The opposition should apologise to the people for disrupting Parliament ... and for damaging the country for so many years," he said.

His attack on the Opposition came after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said if he is allowed to speak on demonetisation, there will be an "earthquake."

"If they allow me to speak in parliament, you will see what an earthquake will happen,"  Gandhi had said earlier.

Gandhi said  his speech challenging the Government over its demonetisation drive is ready, but he is being prevented from delivering it because the Government  keeps evading a debate.

"This note ban is the biggest scam in the history of India. I want to speak in Lok Sabha about it. I will tell everything there. For a month we've been trying to debate on demonetisation. We want the issue to be clear, "Rahul said.

He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not addressing questions about the currency ban in Parliament.

"PM Modi is speaking on the issue at different places in the country, why is he so scared of coming to Lok Sabha and speaking on it," the Congress leader asked.

Earlier,  BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi slammed the Opposition in Lok Sabha for disrupting the parliamentary proceedings and even quoted the President for the same.

She said if the Opposition wants, they can can go Jantar Mantar and protest.

The Congress has been spearheading the Opposition onslaught in Parliament over the ban on high-denomination notes that has triggered a cash crisis across India causing an unprecedented situation.

With most of the days of the Winter Session  witnessing washout of business, the opposition and the Government seem to have taken an irreconcilable opposing stands on how to debate the demonetisation issue.

The differences have left Parliament paralysed with repeated adjournments of both Houses since the session began on November 16.

On November 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  had announced a ban on high-value notes, saying the move was intended to bring in reforms, including that of containing the flow of black money.

As the move caused a cash crunch across the country, the Opposition took up the matter citing the plight of the people.

The opposition says that though it is in favour of unearthing  black money and punishing the offenders, the demonetisation drive as executed by the Government, has hit the poor hardest because they have no access to formal banking.