BHOPAL: “If we raise the voice of the common people, the Congress party becomes anti-national. The Congress party had never called for a bandh on the demonetisation issue”, said PCC president Arun Yadav while addressing the Jan Aakrosh Rally at Neelam Park here on Monday.
Around a thousand people had gathered for the rally. The launch of the rally was put off thrice as the organisers waited for people to gather.
The Congress party held demonstrations nationwide on Monday to protest the unplanned demonetisation done by the Prime Minister and the problems it caused to the commoners. While addressing the meeting, Arun Yadav alleged that due to unplanned demonetisation the poor, the housewives, and small vendors were facing serious problems.
Demonetisation – wherever it was done – damaged the economy and industry of countries concerned. In India unplanned demonetisation has damaged the industrial sector badly, he alleged
Over the past 18 days, more than 70 people have died due to demonetisation – some have committed suicide and others have died due to exhaustion and tension, he said. No industrialist or IAS officer joined the queues outside banks to exchange or deposit scrapped currency notes. Only the common man had to struggle to get his hard-earned money.
Former minister Suresh Pachauri said that many eminent economists, including Dr Manmohan Singh have flayed the move.
The rally was poorly-attended. It was scheduled to start from Peer Gate at 1.30 pm, but the coordinator of the rally and the DCC president PC Sharma himself reached Peer Gate at around 2.20 pm. Arun Yadav reached at around 2.50 pm. The rally started from Peer Gate around 3.35 pm and reached the Neelam Park at around 4.45 pm. The banners, posters and party flags were prepared in huge numbers but there was an acute shortage of people willing to carry them. Non-Congress opposition parties held a demonstration and took out a rally to protest demonetisation on Monday at RBI office.
