Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday expressed his solidarity with Kerala’s United Democratic Front (UDF) which has been fighting to have primary cooperative banks in the State opened, ever since the demonetisation measure was announced last month.
“I am with the people of Kerala; I am with the leadership of the UDF,” Mr Gandhi said, addressing a sit-in organised by the UDF at Jantar Mantar.
The UDF leaders were here also to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to present him with a memorandum on the hardships rural folk have been suffering with the closure of the primary cooperative banks in which most of them have accounts. Acknowledging that Kerala had been badly affected by demonetisation, he said, “Your leaders have told me that the State has been devastated because the cooperative sector that is so important in Kerala has been hit. This is a monumental disaster.”
Addressing the dharna, former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Wednesday said demonetisation would lead the country towards a national disaster and Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not deserve a pardon.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and UDF leaders N.K. Premachandran, P.K. Kunhalikutty and other prominent Congress leaders also participated in the protest.
Chandy, Sudheeran absent
Our Special Correspondent adds from Thiruvananthapuram: Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran were conspicuous by their absence at the dharna. Mr. Chandy said he could not make it to Delhi since he had certain prior engagements. Mr. Sudheeran did not make it owing to ill-health.
