TMC observes 'Black Day' throughout state

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday observed "Black Day" throughout the state to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation with party leaders and state ministers leading protest marches and workers burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described demonetisation as "DeMoDisaster" and turned her Twitter display picture black, on Wednesday. In the city, processions were taken out led by several senior party leaders.

TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Mayor Sovan Chatterjee led the rallies in Behala. Chatterjee said by announcing the ban of high-value notes, the Centre has actually helped some people with vested interests to convert black money into white. He said: "Within half-an-hour after the banning of high-value notes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, Mamata Banerjee had stated that it was a disaster and would affect country's growth badly. Banerjee's predictions have come true and even economists, both Indian and foreign, have echoed similar thoughts."

Subrata Mukherjee, who led the rally at Gariahat, said never in the past the common people had faced such hardships. "Thousands of people stood in front of banks to withdraw their own money. Those who were standing in queues to exchange their own money had been projected as black marketers. Many people died standing in long queues."

State Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim led a march in Chetla. Posters against demonetisation and its impact on the Indian economy were displayed at the protest march. Describing note ban as a "big scam", Hakim claimed that many people lost their lives, lakhs of people became unemployed and the GDP fell.

In Tollygunge, a rally was led by Aroop Biswas. He said: "The Centre has failed to curb the prices of essential commodities and to create jobs."