Organised Loot, Says Manmohan Singh On Note Ban; Government Hits Back

Chaos continued in Parliament today. A glimmer of hope for a debate and a day's worth of proceedings as the Prime Minister finally came to Rajya Sabha ended right after lunch when he didn't return. The ruckus led to both Houses being adjourned and the debate being suspended for the day. As the Opposition and the ruling BJP traded charges - the BJP accusing Opposition of deliberately scuttling debate - and the Opposition demanding the PM's presence before it continues, things are pretty much where they have been for the last 10 days. But the Opposition fired an important salvo today, in the form of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Pointing to falling GDP, the impact on small industry, business and agriculture, Dr Singh didn't mince his words while questioning the government on its decision and implementation to demonetise currency and restrict the public's access to cash literally overnight. Quoting John Maynard Keynes to those who say demonetization will benefit in the long run, he said 'in the long run we are all dead.' Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit back saying, "It is disappointing to hear from people who were in charge of the government when the most black money was generated, most corruption scandals came to the fore." On The Buck Stops Here, we look at the 'notebank politics' and the long-term implications of demonetization.