Opposition parties including Congress today staged a protest against the government over demonetisation issue at many places in Haryana and Punjab as part of the 'Jan Aakrosh Divas' observed across the country, even as normal life remained unaffected.
Raising slogans, they demanded steps to ease the problems being faced by the people due to the demonetisation drive.
In Hisar, a large number of Congress activists took out a procession. They gathered outside Nagori Gate and later marched out in various bazaars (marketplaces).
Jaipal Lali, Vice President of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and other party leaders alleged that "demonetisation is a political move which is being sold as a fight against corruption".
'Jan Aakrosh Divas' rally was also addressed by various other Congress leaders who claimed that economic activities have come to a standstill since the scheme was announced.
Haryana's main opposition Indian National Lokdal (INLD) today submitted a memorandum to district administration in Hisar, with the party claiming that Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes "were scrapped to cover up the government's "failure" to deliver on Prime Minister's promise of bringing back black money."
In Fatehgarh Sahib, most of business and educational institutes remained open as usual.
In Punjab's main industrial town Ludhiana, shops, factories, local and other means of transport functioned normal.
However, a protest rally was taken out at clock tower chowk by the Congress. A group of Congress workers raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government.
Surinder Dawar, MLA and Gurpreet Gogi, President Ludhiana District Congress committee addressed the protesters.
In Ropar district of Punjab, the Congress and the Left parties today took out separate protest march. The District Bar Association members also abstained from work.
The Congress march was led by Ropar DCC president Vijay Kumar Tinku and Charan Singh-- Secretary of CPI led the protest march of his party.
All business establishments remained open.
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As part of the nationwide protest against demonetisation, Punjab Congress leaders and workers held demonstrations and protest marches across all the districts.
Slogan-shouting Congress men, carrying placards against the "monumental management failure" of the irrational and ad-hoc scheme, marched to banks and ATMs in their respective districts to register their protest and reach out to the common people who had been plunged into a web of humongous problems and difficulties as a result of the "change notes" decision of the prime minister, said a party release.
Party leaders and workers took to the streets across Jalandhar (North), Ropar, Adampur, Mohali, Nawanshahr, Faridkot, among other places, to mark their protest in response to a nationwide call to observe 'Jan Akrosh Diwas'.
The party release further said that 20 days after the Prime Minister announced his "ill-conceived" policy, the queues at the banks/ATMs remained unabated, as innocent people continued to be subjected to "unbearable hardships".
Referring to the "economic anarchy" into which the country had been "plunged by the unplanned and undevised" decision of the Modi government, it said people were suffering from a "colossal sense" of fear and insecurity.
People standing in queues are neither thieves nor black money hoarders, it said, adding that Modi cannot "mock Indians facing insurmountable problems" nor can he use his traditional 'jumlas' to deflect the truth that 125 crore people are suffering pain, angst, distress and desolation as a result of this move.
The Punjab Congress leaders alleged that Modi's friends and party workers had known about the decision in advance and had thus been able to save themselves from the problems arising out of demonetisation.
