Opposition protests in Goa against demonetisation

Opposition parties, including those aligned to the Left, staged token protests in Goa on Monday against the demonetisation of high value currency.

The parties which participated in the Jan Aakrosh Diwas protests included the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

"Demonetisation may be a good move but the manner in which it was implemented has caused tremendous hardship to common people," Nationalist Congress Party chief Jose Philip D'Souza said.

Congress state President Luizinho Faleiro said that with no new lower denomination currency in ATMs and banks, the common man was facing tremendous hardship.

The Congress held a dharna near the State Bank of India's main office in the state capital.

"The economy has collapsed. There is virtually no trade going on. People cannot buy fish or groceries because they do not have small currency notes. Farmers are in distress as they cannot sell what they produce," Faleiro said.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar came out in support of the demonetisation.

"Goa is with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Like I have said, there is some hardship, but the step will be good for the future," Parsekar told IANS.

--IANS

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