Over 200 businessmen from different trade bodies today staged a sit-in against the Centre's demonetisation move here, saying the industry has been hit hard after high-value currency notes were scrapped.
The protest was also joined by senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar and Lok Insaf Party leader Simarjeet Singh Bains.
The protesters also blocked traffic for about an hour and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi-led government.
Local industry representatives claimed demonetisation had adversely impacted businesses and also rendered a large number of labourers jobless.
"Demonetisation has badly hit Punjab's consumption economy. The withdrawal of liquidity has triggered the collapse of every entrepreneur in the state while industries have already laid off thousands of workers in recent months, firstly because of exploitative polices of the local leadership and then due to demonetisation," Jakhar claimed.
Questioning the Badals' silence on demonetisation related woes of people, he alleged, "The Modi-led government is clearly targeting the middle class by strangulating the consumption economy."
He said Sukhbir's plea to the Centre to solve the cash problem was "too little and too late".
The industry and agriculture sectors, and small traders in Punjab have been badly hit by cash crunch, the Congress leader said.
Jakhar said state Congress chief Amarinder Singh could not join the protest as he has a meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi on loan waiver for farmers.
He assured that Amarinder would meet them and take their views and suggestions on battling "long term ill-effects" of demonetisation.
Earlier, in a rally local BJP leader Rajinder Bhandari was not allowed to complete his speech by a section of the audience.
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