On November 8, 2016, the Centre had declared Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as non-legal and introduced new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes.
NEW DELHI: Congress party workers on Friday held a nationwide protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government’s demonetisation drive, which had its second anniversary on Thursday.
Several Congress leaders, including former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma, Sushmita Dev, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Manish Chatrarh were reportedly detained by the police for protesting outside the RBI headquarters.
Former PM Manmohan Singh described the policy as an “ill-fated and ill-thought” exercise.Congress activists led by Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar and Punjab cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu protested near the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building in Chandigarh’s Sector 17 on the second anniversary of demonetisation.
Reacting to the BJP leader’s remark, chief minister Harish Rawat’s media in-charge Surendra Kumar said: “People will tell them (BJP leaders) their right place through ballot in the assembly election due early next year.”
MPCC president TN Haokip who led the protest said that demonetisation severely affected all sections of the society including big companies, small scale industries, farmers, workers and common man.
Party workers took to the streets in Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Patna, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Bengaluru and in the national capital, protesting against the note ban.
Indian Youth Congress is organising a protest outside RBI Headquarters on the occasion of the second anniversary of failed demonetisation.
The workers of Himachal Pradesh division observed black day in Shimla. Wearing black bands on their heads, the party workers carried placards and raised anti-demonetisation slogans.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the decision to scrap currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 two years ago had led to formalisation of the economy, curbing of cash transactions and more direct tax revenue.
