All major opposition parties, social organisations, farmer groups, mediapersons, NGOs, civil society activists and individuals organised massive protests across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation, even as the government launched an advertising blitzkrieg lauding its move of November 8 last year.
The various forms of protests included processions, funerals, 'barsi memorial prayers', 'shraadh' of the spiked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, mass tonsuring of heads, human chains, besides a flood of messages, songs, cartoons and jokes on social media networks castigating demonetisation.
In Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik, Sangli, Kolhapur and other major cities activists of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, leftist and socialist parties, farmers organisations and even the ruling ally Shiv Sena organised processions with thousands of people joining.
At the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the Congress and the NCP organised memorial prayers mourning the "demise" of the erstwhile Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes exactly a year ago.
Elaborate 'shraadh' rituals were witnessed in Mumbai and Nashik with Hindu priests chanting holy mantras and the gathering mourning the loss of the old notes, while in Aurangabad political activists joined a mass tonsuring ceremony after a protest.
Congress leaders like Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, Sanjay Nirupam, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and others took part in various anti-demonetisation protests in different parts of the city and the state, attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party government for the move which has "pushed the economy to the brink".
NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare and many more organised processions in Mumbai, Pune and other major cities slamming the move which has "rendered millions jobless and created an economic crisis in the country".
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Scores of social media groups and their members, who had been preparing for the day well in advance, also organised protest marches in different cities and joined other agitation activities by various political parties or groups.
The ruling BJP and its affiliates like the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha organised pro-demonetisation events, processions and functions in which pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were "fed" 'pedhas' to celebrate what they termed a "revolutionary and historic decision".
The BJP had deployed a majority of its Union Ministers and other top leaders besides NDA partners, to travel to various states and drum up support for demonetisation, with Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari lauding the move in Mumbai and claiming that only those affected by demonetisation are opposing it.
His cabinet colleague Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale organised a celebration on Wednesday named 'White Money Day' and appreciated Modi for implementing the "bold move" last year.
The government has also unleashed a massive media campaign in which the benefits of demonetisation have been discussed in print, electronic and social media, also special webpages have been created, short films and documentaries posted for public viewing.
--IANS
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