Currency exchange done at BJP headquarters during demonetisation: Kapil Sibal

The Congress on Saturday released three video clips purportedly showing “government officials” who claimed they could get old notes exchanged months after demonetisation, and alleged that it was done at the behest of the BJP. At a press conference, Congress leader Kapil Sibal showed the three videos apparently from 2017 shot by an investigative journalist. There was no authentication of the clips by the party or any other agency.

New Delhi: Congress leader and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday alleged that currency exchange was done at the BJP headquarters in the national capital during demonetisation.

Sibal showed three videos featuring Iqbal, a retired Jammu and Kashmir police official; Sanjay Padule, a sub Inspector in Delhi Police and posted as the PSO of a Supreme Court Judge, and an Investigative journalist.

Briefing the media on these videos, Sibal said,"It shows Iqbal and Padule talking to each other how Piyush Goyal, who was the treasurer, used to call and say that this vehicle should be allowed to enter the BJP office without checking and BJP has a strong room on the first floor, where the cash was stored.

"The Congress party is not saying all this. They are speaking how Amit Shah used to come there from the back gate and all this was happening."

Sibal said, "Another video shows how Padule took the investigative journalist to Shyam Jaju as he said that he wanted his Rs 300 crore to be exchanged. However, Shyam Jaju didn't say anything."

The Congress leader also slammed PM Narendra Modi and said that the latter used to say that one of the reasons behind demonetisation was to make a cashless society.

"However, in 2016, cash in circulation was Rs 17.97 lakh crore just before demonetisation. Today it is 21.42 lakh crore, which means, after demonetisation, there was nearly Rs 3 lakh crore increase in cash circulation, according to RBI data," Sibal said.

He also said that Prime Minister Modi used to claim in 2014 that he would bring back black money deposited in Swizz bank.

"However, in 2017, one year after demonetisation, about Rs 7,000 crore was deposited in a Swiss bank in Zurich," said Sibal.