Yechury lauds Rahul's speech in Parliament

CPI(M) today lauded Rahul Gandhi for his speech that "rattled" Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the "battle of speeches" in Parliament last week and said the Congress leader's remarks were the "best intervention" by him.
Speaking on a wide range of issues to Karan Thapar on India Today TV's 'To The Point' programme, Yechury wondered if shouting "Pakistan zindabad" slogan is "anti-national" in India which wants good relationship with Pakistan.
"For the Prime Minister to be pre-occupied in answering a speech, just one speech in entire debate (in Parliament), that itself is an admission that he is rattled.
"The Prime Minister's entire speech was more of a response to that (Rahul's) speech and not on the basis of a huge number of MPs who had spoken," he said.

Yechury said Rahul's "speech this time in Parliament has been the best parliamentary intervention by him. It has rattled the Prime Minister and it is clear in his response."
Asked if the speech suggested Rahul has come of an age as an opposition leader, Yechury said "one never comes of an age in Indian Parliament and he/she has to keep on coming of age".

"I think (he) can take lessons from his great grandfather," Yechury added.
Asked about Pakistan zindabad slogan allegedly raised during a controversial event at JNU on February 9, Yehcury said "if we want good neighbourly relationship with Pakistan, shouting Zindabad is it anti-national? You shout zindabad whenever there is anything to do with any country with whom you have friendly relations with or break diplomatic relation."

"Or declare Pakistan is an enemy, (there will be) no diplomatic relations, we will treat as an enemy. But the first point is to prove the veracity if at all such slogan was raised. If you say India Murdabad is anti-national," he said.
Yechury said, "The BJP national executive today accepted
that almost all of the money demonetised has now come back to the banks. So, what does it mean? It is not black money that is being confiscated. It is black money that has been permitted to turn into white money into legal money."
"All counterfeit money have become legal. So black money has become white and counterfeit money has become legal and that is the achievement of this, which is completely opposite of what the Prime Minister claims," he alleged.

He said the party's Central Committee has decided to launch a movement across the country demanding immediate removal of the restriction on people to withdraw their own money from their bank accounts.
Criticising the BJP's claim that the GDP rate of the country has not been affected despite demonetisation, he said the government was doing "a very sophisticated type of cheating. Today they also claimed that the demonetisation has not affected the economy".
"They claimed that the growth rate of the country is 7.1 per cent, only slightly less than the 7.5 per cent in spite of demonetisation," he said.

"These figures are of the period before demonetisation began...And on that basis they are claiming that GDP rate has not been affected. But if you add the next three months, then the real effect of the fall in the GDP would be known and that is what they try to conceal," he said.
He said before Modi came to power, one per cent of "rich and shining India people" controlled 43 per cent of the country's GDP. But today, two years later, one per cent people controls nearly 59 per cent of GDP," he alleged.
"When people's discontent may turn into a political movement against Modi government, in all to prevent that, RSS and BJP have started a formula to divert people's attention by sharpening communal polarisation," Yechury said.

Veteran leaders Prakash Karat, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, V S Achutanandan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan were also present.
The three-day central committee meeting would conclude here tomorrow.