Demonetisation: Mamata meets Prez, highlights people’s woes

Continuing her attack on the Modi government over demonetisation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee again and apprised him about the “critical” condition prevailing in the country.

“Today I met the President. I had met him earlier also.We explained to him about the critical issue going on in the country (after demonetisation),” Banerjee said after meeting the President.

“We told him (the President) about the situation of labourers in the country. In our state, paddy labourers are not getting salary. Many shopkeepers, traders, even salaried employees, are not getting money. Last month, they got salary but this month they will not get any money. We cannot access the money in our accounts,” she told reporters.

Narrating an incident at a hospital, she said, “One boy died because of lack of treatment. Old notes are running in petrol pump, airports but states cannot use old notes because of which it will suffer losses.”

The Trinamool Congress chief had led a protest march from Parliament House to Rashtrapati Bhawan on November 16, the first day of the Winter Session, along with members of AAP, Shiv Sena and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference against the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

She had also addressed a rally on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar along with AAP and Samajwadi Party to step up the pressure on the Centre.

On November 29, Banerjee will meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and hold a rally in Lucknow. The TMC supremo is also set to reach out to other poll-bound states, Punjab and Gujarat. However, Banerjee  refused to clarify on whether the party was going to take Aam Admi Party’s support, as TMC recently got national party status from the Election Commission of India. 

TMC vice-president and MP Mukul Roy on Thursday named former Congress Parliamentarian Jagmeet Singh Brar as the party’s state in-charge in Punjab ahead of the Assembly poll.

The Bengal CM is likely to hold a public rally in Patna on November 30 or in the first week of December.

After Patna, Banerjee is expected to touch base in Gujarat and Chandigarh. Banerjee also clarified that there was no ambiguity among opposition parties, who had come together against the “fatal” demonetization move. The ruling party at the Centre was spreading rumours to create uncertainty in Opposition ranks.

TMC workers would hold a public protest rally in Kolkata on November 28.