‘Eager to hear Rahul’s scholarly views on note ban’: Govt counters Cong

New Delhi: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, BJP on Wednesday said the government is eager to hear his "scholarly" arguments on demonetisation as it wants to know the Congress vice president's stand on the issue of black money.

Speaking to reporters here, 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 demonetisation decision, 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.