Kochi: Opposition parties led by the Congress is organising ‘Jan Aakrosh Diwas’ on Monday to protest against the Centre’s demonetisation move.
The first week of the winter session in Parliament saw opposition parties stand as a united front, but they appear divided on how they will protest against the move on Monday.
The Left Front is intent on holding a 12-hour bandh in West Bengal, but the Trinamool Congress-led state government has vowed to foil it. The state finance department has issued a circular stating that all employees would be required to attend office on Monday and Tuesday, and exceptions would be made only in case of bereavement, maternity leave, hospitalisation and other ‘genuine reasons’.
The shutdown called by Kerala’s ruling LDF appeared to be total as only private vehicles plied, offices registered minimal attendances, and normal life was crippled. The shutdown was called to denounce the demonetisation of high value currency which has left the cooperative banks in the state in turmoil.
States like Bihar and Left-ruled Tripura saw widespread protests, with schools and colleges remaining shut. On the other hand, a state like West Bengal, whose chief minister has been vociferously opposing the move, saw the call for bandh hardly getting any support from the people.
Life came to a halt in Left-ruled Tripura. Government and semi-government, private offices, banks, educational institutions, shops and business establishments remained closed due to the strike. Train services were disrupted but flight movement was not disturbed.
The nation-wide shutdown evoked partial response in Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh today. Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in some areas. The services of state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) remained normal. In Telangana, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) did not participate in the shutdown. Some schools in Hyderabad declared holiday as a precautionary measure.
In Odisha, schools and colleges were closed over the Opposition’s call for Bharat Bandh. “Initially they supported (the BJD government) the bandh, but surprisingly today the Odisha government has sut down schools and colleges,” said Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. In Puri, members of the Centre of India Trade Unions National Conference held a protest march.
In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party workers took to the streets in Allahabad to protest against demonetisation of high-value currency. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had warned the government of public backlash for causing inconvenience to the poor.
In Tamil Nadu, DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) workers staged a protest against the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision in Chennai. The party has been vocal in its opposition to the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. DMK leader MK Stalin and some workers have been taken into preventive custody by the police in Chennai.
Traders associations
All major traders associations in the national capital said no political party asked them to participate in the shut down against demonetisation. Sanjeev Mehra, Khan Market Traders Association (KMTA) said he heard about the proposed ‘bandh’, but no one approached him.
(Agencies)
