Thirty-eight cadres of Communist Party of India (Marxist), led by district secretary K.G. Bhaskaran, were courted arrest while attempting to stage an agitation in front of Tirunelveli railway junction on Wednesday without obtaining police permission.
Besides, the party also staged demonstrations at Veeravanallur, Sambavar Vadakarai and other places across the district, condemning demonetisation by the Central government. The speakers said since it was implemented all of a sudden, common people were the worst-affected.
D. Raja, town secretary, who led the agitation near Thoothukudi Head Post Office on Tiruchendur Road, said the demonetised notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 should be accepted until fresh currency notes were available adequately in banks and ATMs. He said people had been waiting in long queues in front of ATMs which were not adequately loaded with cash.
K.S. Arjunan, district secretary, was present. There were similar agitations at 14 places, including Kovilpatti, in Thoothukudi district.
Dindigul
The CPI(M) cadres staged a similar agitation in Dindigul on Wednesday.
On the pretext of abolishing black money, the Union gGovernment, headed by Narendra Modi, banned circulation of the high-value notes, putting the people of the country to untold hardships. The life of ordinary people and salaried class had come to a grinding halt, they said.
People were unable to withdraw their own money from banks. Bank officials claimed that there was no money in the chest. The protesters asked how could the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders term the hardships faced by the weaker sections of society “a sacrifice for nation building”.
Speaking at the demonstration, former MLA Balabharathi, district secretary Pandi and others said if the BJP-led government was really interested in abolishing black money and bringing the guilty to book, what was the necessity to discontinue the currency notes. Income Tax officials should be entrusted with the task of conducting raids on those having huge amounts of unaccounted money.
Instead of doing this, the Modi government had discontinued the currencies, jeopardising the life of the common man, she said, and urged the people to think of the evil designs of the Centre. She also came down heavily on the district police for not granting permission for the party functionaries to stage the demonstration and harassing them during the protest. The party cadres would come to the streets in protest against such actions of the police, she said.
