New Delhi, June 22 : The Congress on Friday alleged that the demonetisation carried out by the Narendra Modi government was the "biggest scam in Independent India" to convert black money into white and the maximum deposits in cooperative banks in just five days were in BJP-ruled states, mainly Gujarat.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that RTI queries had revealed that Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank,whose directors include BJP chief Amit Shah, received the highest amount of old demonetised notes of Rs 745.58 crore in just five days.

"Nineteen months post 'Modi made disaster' of demonetisation, it is now officially clear that this entire exercise was the biggest scam in independent India, indulged to convert its ill-gotten 'black money' into 'white'," Surjewala said.

He said a comprehensive probe into demonetisation has become the need of the hour as one of the aspects of the revelations from an RTI query showed the maximum deposits in district cooperative banks that were controlled by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders including its President Amit Shah.

IANS had done a story on Thursday based on a RTI reply which said that a bank with Amit Shah as a director collected the highest amount of banned notes among DCCBs (District Central Cooperative Banks).

Surjewala said both Modi and Shah need to come clean on the fact that in 11 district co-operative banks in Gujarat headed by BJP leaders, old notes worth Rs 3,118.51 crore were deposited within the five days during which it was allowed.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi also hit out at Shah in a tweet.

"Congratulations Amit Shahji, Director, Ahmedabad Dist. Cooperative Bank, on your bank winning first prize in the conversion of old notes to new race. Rs 750 crore in five days! Millions of Indians whose lives were destroyed by demonetisation, salute your achievement. #ShahZyadaKhaGaya."

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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the time has come for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act in its true spirit and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with the quota for women in place.

In a letter to the floor leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ahead of the three-day special sittings of Parliament, Modi also asked all members to come together in one voice to pass the amendments to the women's reservation law, officially known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

"After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country.

"It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women's reservation in place," the Prime Minister said in his letter dated April 11.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened on April 16 to 18.

The Women's Reservation Act will ensure an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, of which 273 will be reserved for women.

The provision to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023.

However, the women's quota would have come into effect only after the completion of the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2027 Census. This meant the reservation would not have become enforceable before 2034 if the present law remains as is.

To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam; hence, the government is holding a special session to pass the amendments to the law.