Manmohan Singh gave a speech at Rajya Sabha, in which he said that the government’s mishandling of the ban on high-denomination notes amounts to "organised loot, legalised plunder."
After the speech, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi walked over to his predecessor and shook hands when parliament broke for lunch.
Modi was accompanied by
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Jaitley was also seen talking to senior Congress leaders
Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma along with other opposition members who have attacked his reform aimed at fighting black money.
The opposition was adamant that PM Modi must speak on
demonetisation in Parliament, the government agreed thathe will speak on the issue in Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority.
Dr Singh said that though he agrees with the PM's intent to flush out black money, the implementation of his initiative, which has forced long lines at banks for nearly two weeks, amounts to "a monumental management failure."
That is also what other opposition leaders have alleged, arguing that a move meant to punish the corrupt and rich who hoard black money has left the poor in rural India, including farmers, stranded without cash.