Demonetisation only brought hardship for the common man, DMK working president M K Stalin said on Wednesday, leading the opposition charge against the NDA government's note ban move on its first anniversary.
Demonetisation only brought hardship for the common man, DMK working president M K Stalin said on Wednesday, leading the opposition charge against the NDA government's note ban move on its first anniversary here.
Clad in a black shirt, Stalin led a well-attended 'Karuppu Dinam' (Black Day) protest of the main opposition party in the state here and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government on note ban.
Slamming the NDA government on implementing demonetisation, following which then high-value currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 were withdrawn from circulation, he alleged that it only ended up causing "hardship" for the common man.
Following the announcement, people queued up outside banks and ATMs, with some "dying" while waiting in the long lines, in different parts of the country, he said.
"This day (November 8) has just turned to be a day that brought despair to 125 crore people of the country although they (BJP) promised they will eradicate black money," Stalin, also Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly said.
The note ban decision was an "unexpected" one and was announced in the night, he said in reference to Modi breaking the news in a televised addressed on the evening of November 8 last year.
"We got freedom at midnight (in 1947). But, we have lost our freedom at this midnight," he said.
The two specified banknotes ceased to be legal tender post-November 8 midnight.
Stalin and his supporters raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government, questioning whether the objectives of implementing note ban, including eradication of black money, were achieved.
After demonetisation, the central government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued "contradictory" statements and instructions more than 76 times relating to it, he said, adding that the prime minister should have consulted economic experts and the central banker before announcing the move.
"They should have analysed the pros and cons of demonetisation and foreseen the possible problems and complications," he said.
On the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said people belonging to various sections were affected by the central taxation law rolled out on July 1 this year.
In Coimbatore, DMK president M Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi led the protest.
The note ban has deprived lakhs of poor workers of their livelihood as they could not spend their hard earned money, she said.
Clad in a black saree, she said former prime minister, Indira Gandhi, had rejected the idea of demonetisation while former prime minister Morarji Desai had "learnt a lesson", alluding to the 1978 decision by the Janata Party government.
However, Modi failed to take a cue from this and implemented the note ban, leading to "financial chaos" in the country, she added.
Despite people's suffering following note ban, the Modi government implemented GST, which also resulted in an economic and industrial crisis, she said.
Senior DMK leaders Durai Murugan led a protest in Tiruchirappalli.
DMK men wore black shirts, while women supporters donned black sarees.
The Congress and IUML, allies of the DMK, also staged protests in different parts of the state including Chennai and Karur.
The DMK earlier said it would observe November 8, the first anniversary of demonetisation, as 'Black Day' and stage demonstrations in all district headquarters of Tamil Nadu.
However, it later announced deferring the protests in eight rain-affected districts, including Chennai.
