Mamata urges president to intervene and ‘stop financial chaos’

Major opposition parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, yesterday took on the government outside parliament over the acute problems faced by people following the “financial calamity” unleashed by the surprise demonetisation move.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool supremo, and leaders of three other parties including the Shiv Sena, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, sought President Pranab Mukherjee’s intervention.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi trained his guns on Modi and demanded action against “his friends” and those who are hoarding black money.
Joined by the leaders of the National Conference, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiv Sena, Banerjee and 40 of her Trinamool MPs marched to the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace and submitted a memorandum demanding a rollback of demonetisation of Rs500 and 1,000 currency notes.
However, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal gave the march a miss, with MP from Punjab Bhagwant Mann representing the party.
“I appeal to you on behalf of the toiling masses, those who eke out a living by trading in small goods and services and those from the villages of India, to use your highest office to intervene and stop this financial chaos and insecurity and protect them from a situation which is more than an unannounced financial emergency,” the memorandum to the president said.
Later, talking to reporters, Banerjee said the “big black scheme” has led to many deaths across the country and resulted in a loss of Rs2tn to India’s GDP.
“This is a big black scheme. Today there are no vegetables in the market, no milk for babies and no medicine for the sick and the ailing. Around 20-30 people have already died, many of them due to stress,” she said, and also called for a probe into the rise of the banks’ non-performing assets.
“The president gave us a patient hearing, he was the country’s finance minister, no one can understand the situation better than him. So, we hope he will take appropriate action,” said Banerjee.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was among the leaders who took part in the march that started from Parliament House premises.
The Shiv Sena, which has been critical of demonetisation, was represented by MP Anandrao Adsul, who said his party was not against the decision but at the way it was implemented.
“On that (implementation), we are supporting the Trinamool Congress. The decision should have been implemented with proper preparations,” Adsul said.
The Congress also chose to take up the issue with the masses.
Addressing a large group of party activists in Bhiwandi near Mumbai, Gandhi alleged that in the past couple of years, Modi has waived off over Rs 1.1tn of loans to a small group of industrialists, with whose help the country is being run.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who attacked Modi for “cheating the country,” announced he will address a public meeting in Azadpur Mandi in north Delhi today against demonetisation.
Banerjee will also address the meeting.