Note pe charcha: Congress pland drive against demonetisation

The Congress, which led the Opposition’s demonetisation protests inside the parliament, is ready to expand that role across the country with the winter session coming to a draw on December 16. 

According to Congress insiders, the unity among the 17 Opposition parties over demonetisation needs to be taken to the streets after the session gets over. 

“As the principal opposition party, the Congress already demonstrated that leadership role in parliament. We will initiate groundwork for joint nationwide protests against demonetisation outside parliament,” Congress veteran Satyavrat Chaturvedi told this newspaper. 

Congress managers said that coordination with regional players in the states has been left to respective state units. 

“Regional parties have their own areas of influence. The state Congress units will work out the levels of coordination with the regional parties,” said Chaturvedi.

Congress insiders further said that though there is convergence among various Opposition parties on many issues like demonetization, GST, zero duty wheat imports and national security, there were differences too. 

Congress managers said the party will urge all secular forces to come together against the central government. 

Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi, who has been attacking PM Modi over demonetization, wanted to speak on the issue in the Lok Sabha but the government is in no mood to give him that opportunity in the remaining three days of the winter session. 

Congress insiders said they have been watching the roll out of the demonetization drive over the past one month and will scale up their protests across states. 

Rahul, who visited the Dadri grain market in Western Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, will travel across the country over the comings weeks to express solidarity with those  who have suffered due to poor implementation of demonetisation. 

The Congress units in Delhi and Mumbai have started holding public meetings dubbed as “note pe charcha” over the issue. 

Congress strategists said the party supported the stated objective of the note ban---to curb black money-- but wants to expose  the futility of the move which has dented the economy, resulted in job losses and over 100 deaths while having little impact on cleaning up the financial system.