Oppn to organise mass protests on Monday

Various opposition will take their protests inside Parliament against currency demonetisation to the streets across the country on Monday, as 'Jan Akrosh Divas (People's Anger Day)'.

This was announced after around 200 lawmakers from 14 parties formed a human chain inside the Parliament complex, in a show of strength against the government.

Demanding a parliamentary committee probe into the issue, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said, “We want the prime minister who represents the country to come to Parliament. He will have to listen to us, will have to sit there. We see a scam behind this move.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, when only one question could be taken for discussion, with loud sloganeering from the opposition benches. It was the fifth day of stalling Parliament.

Congress communication department chief Randeep Surjewala said all opposition parties were together and each would contribute to the Jan Akrosh rallies in their own way.

“(Our) state and district unit heads will stage protest rallies across the country on Monday,” he said, adding the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8 had not helped curb black money but had adversely impacted the common citizen, the rural sector and small traders.

According to a CPI-M leader, state committees will decide on various forms of actions - mass demonstrations, dharnas, picketing of Reserve Bank and central government offices, road and rail blockades and so forth on Monday, with other Left parties.

Outside Parliament, the Aam Aadmi and Nationalist Congress parties joined a protest organised by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. She said: "The government should understand that whatever they did is affecting normal people. This time, nobody will support their party."