United Democratic Front (UDF) legislators picketed Raj Bhavan on Monday in protest against the Centre’s attitude towards the cooperative sector, post-demonetisation.
Nearly 20 MLAs courted arrest and were removed by the police.
Inaugurating the protest, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala termed demonetisation a blunder of Tughlaqian proportions.
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“The country is in the midst of widespread chaos, much like what is known to have happened when Muhammad bin Tughlaq introduced representative money. While Tughlaq dropped the move after realising its consequences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned a blind eye towards the hardships of numerous families,” he said.
He added that the common man, including farmers and the financially disadvantaged sections, took the brunt of the demonetisation process. Instead of alleviating their woes, Mr. Modi had reduced himself to a brand ambassador for mobile wallet companies, Mr. Chennithala said.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy accused the Centre of violating the Constitution by denying the citizens the right to access their own savings and utilise them for their needs. He also questioned the need for the hasty implementation of demonetisation without adequate arrangements.
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Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran said the Centre had lost the confidence and trust of the people for having pushed them to a financial ‘emergency’.
He also demanded that the Prime Minister responded to the criticism raised by economists, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.
Among those who courted arrest included Mr. Chennithala, Mr. Chandy, former Ministers Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, M.K. Muneer, Anoop Jacob, and V.D. Satheesan, MLA.
They were taken to the Armed Reserve Camp at Nandavanam and soon released.