Chandigarh, Nov 20 (IANS): Defending the central government's demonetisation decision, BJP President Amit Shah said on Sunday that the "bold" move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit terror outfits hard, leaving them penniless.

Addressing a rally of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) booth-level leaders here on Sunday, Shah said the same people from opposition parties who used to demand that the Modi government should take action against black money, are now opposing the demonetisation move.

"It looks that they (opposition parties) have lost a lot (after the demonetisation)," Shah said.

"The demonetisation move has given a hard blow to terrorism. The terror organisations have been left penniless," Shah said.

He said that the country needed a surgery to cure it from the cancer of black money and the Modi government has done that.

In an oblique attack on the Congress and its leadership, Shah said it is the BJP which has an ideology and works for welfare of people with a focused target. "We link people with the ideology of BJP," he said.

"I ask the media, can you say who will be the next President of Congress? Of course, it will be Rahul Gandhi. If any child is born in their family in future, he will be the Congress President in coming years."

"Have you ever seen a man from a poor family going on to become the Prime Minister? You have to be born in a particular family to become the PM in Congress. But the BJP gives equal opportunity to all workers," he said.

He said that the Modi government had given powers to the armed forces to give a befitting reply to Pakistan's unprovoked firing at the border.

Scores of Congress workers were dispersed by the police using water cannons as they protested near the venue of the BJP rally.

Carrying black flags and shouting slogans against the Narendra Modi government and the BJP, especially targeting the demonetisation move, the Congress workers tried to break the police barricade near the rally venue in Sector 27.

The Chandigarh Police used water cannons to disperse protestors and prevent them from coming close to the venue.

The police later rounded up around 200 Congress workers.