Earlier, the Congress VP had called demonetization the biggest impromptu financial experiment.
Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, BJP said the government is eager to hear his "scholarly" arguments on demonetization as it wants to know the Congress vice president's stand on the issue of black money.
Speaking to reporters, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also cited Congress' poor show in by-poll results, which were announced yesterday, to attack its vice president.
Taking a dig at the opposition parties' protest in the morning, Prasad said instead of forming human chain outside the Parliament they should produce a "chain of speakers" inside and start a debate as the government has been ready for a discussion from the first day of the Winter Session.
"The government is very keen to hear Rahul Gandhi's scholarly arguments. Rajya Sabha witnessed a debate on November 17 and Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma besides BSP's Mayawati spoke. What happened now that they are running away from a debate. They realise that the country is not appreciating their arguments," he said. Asking Gandhi to show pragmatism, Prasad said the Congress leader should consider where his party is heading under him. In the by-polls, Congress did not get enough votes in some seats to save its deposit, he said.
Referring Gandhi's demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi be present in Parliament during the debate, he said as somebody coming from a family whose members have been in power for 50 years he should know how government is run."At times it is good to be pragmatic," the Law Minister said. People are with Modi on his demonetizationdecision, he said. Prasad said over Rs 7 lakh crores have been deposited in banks and it may lead to lower interest rates and other benefits to the masses.
Opposition parties came together to protest against demonetizationoutside Parliament, with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi describing it as the world's "biggest impromptu financial experiment" and said they are firm on their demand for a JPC probe into the "scam". With a united opposition protesting and almost 200 MPs from various parties participating in the discussion, the Prime Minister should explain in Parliament why he took such a decision and why he "leaked" the decision to his industrialist friends and BJP leaders, he said.
"What the PM has done is the biggest impromptu financial experiment in the world. He did not ask anyone. Finance Minister did not know. The Chief economic adviser did not know. This decision is not that of Finance Minister. This is the Prime Minister's decision.
"Prime Minister can give lectures to pop concert where 'naach gaana' is going on. 200 MPs are saying they want to tell the nation why he took this decision. PM does not want to come to Parliament. Why is PM afraid of going inside? He is obviously anxious about something," Gandhi said.
Opposition MPs including those of Congress, SP, BSP, TMC, DMK, CPI, CPI(M) among others were outside Parliament near Gandhi Statue protesting the demonetisation.
"Our demand is that PM represents the country and he should come to Parliament and sit through the entire debate and hear us out and the other opposition leaders.
"We feel there is a scam behind this decision. We feel he informed his own people before and the opposition is firm that it wants a JPC," he said.
Gandhi said a cent percent united opposition was standing outside Parliament and the entire opposition is united, over 200 MPs are standing and the Prime Minister should tell why he has taken this decision.
He said all opposition parties, the Congress party and everybody is for fighting corruption and black money. "That's the question. It is a question of complete centralisation of power. I have been saying that the country cannot be run in this manner."You have hit the economy, which was running fine. But it is not running the way it was running during UPA, but it was somehow running. You have hit it hard," he said.
He added that the decision has hit the fishermen in Bengal and Kerala and other places, it has finished farmers, labourers. "Is there any suited-booted person standing in the line or any BJP MLA, MP in the line. Don't they not need money," he said attacking the government. He said Parliament should condole the death of people who died standing in queues outside banks and ATMs.
"It is shame there is no time to condole the death of those who died in the queue. First day there was a condolence but these people's names wre not mentioned." Asked about Finance Minister M Arun Jaitley s comment that the Congress should make up its mind about whether or not BJP leadership knew of the decision in advance, Gandhi said, "Ahead of this decision, bank deposits surged drastically.
BJP's organization in Bengal and other states knew of it. FM did not know but the BJP organization knew. BJP's industrialist friends knew."
Asked who is leading the protest, Rahul Gandhi said poor people's voice is leading this protest and MPs are representing that voice.
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