CAA, NRC, NPR second demonetisation: Rahul

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and said these exercises would prove to be demonetisation 2.0.

Speaking to reporters at the Congress headquarters here on the sidelines of an event organised to mark the party's 135th foundation day, Rahul Gandhi said, "With these, the government wants to make the poor stand in queues, and help its 15 industrialist friends."

"They will ask the poor to show documents, but would not ask industrialists for it," he said and added, it was an exercise to divert the public attention from real issues. "It's demonetisation 2.0," he said.

On the controversy over his liar jibe at the Prime Minister over the detention centres in Assam, he said, "Have you seen my tweet and pictures of detention centres? And did you hear the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech? Did you find the video of detention centre?".

On Thursday, the former Congress chief had shared a video of a detention centre in Assam and accused Modi of lying.

The Gandhi scion had also attached a video clip of a news report in which Modi accused the Congress and its allies, and "urban naxals" of spreading the rumour that Muslims would be sent to detention centres. The clip also showed a purported detention centre being built in Assam.

"The RSS's Prime Minister lies to Bharat Mata," Rahul Gandhi had said in the tweet in Hindi with the hashtag 'jhoot jhoot jhoot (lies, lies, lies).

Likening the NPR and the NRC to demonetisation, he said, in Chhattisgarh on Friday, those were "tax" on the poor and they would suffer the same way as during the demonetisation in November 2016.

"Whether the NPR or the NRC, it's a tax on poor people. You understand demonetisation. It was a tax on poor people. Go to banks, give your money, but don't withdraw from your account. Entire money went to 15-20 rich people. This (NPR or NRC) is the same thing," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi hoisted the flag at the party headquarters on the 135th Foundation Day. Several senior party leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, K.C. Venugopal, Ambika Soni and A.K. Antony, were present at the event.IANS