Haryana and Chandigarh units of Congress on Wednesday held a protest near the RBIs regional office here against the central bank’s failure to carry out its constitutional duty at the time of demonetisation.
The Congress workers were stopped by police when they tried to gherao the RBI building in Sector 17 here. Police had set up barricades near the RBI building complex to stop Congress leaders and party workers from marching towards the office.
Police also used water cannons to disperse the Congress workers when they tried to jump the barricades.
led by Congress senior leader Rajiv Shukla, the party’s Haryana unit chief Ashok Tanwar, former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, party leaders Viplove Thakur and Pradeep Chhabra took part in the protest.
The protest was organized as a part of nationwide protest against demonetization with party workers gheraoing Reserve Bank of India offices at several locations. The leaders also submitted a memorandum to the RBI officers here.
The Congress leaders accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “derailing” the country’s growth by his demonetisation move and alleged that the RBI failed to “carry out its constitutional duty”.
Addressing Congress workers who had assembled close to the RBI building complex, Rajiv Shukla said, “Industry, trade and agriculture have been hit due to the government’s decision.”
“A large number of people have been rendered unemployed due to demonetisation. RBI also failed to do its constitutional duty,” he alleged.
Shukla said that ‘wheel of development’ has come to a standstill as crores of people are lining up in front of banks and ATMs for last 70 days by giving up their day-to-day livelihood. What is tragic is that these never-ending lines are for withdrawing one’s own hard-earned money, said he.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Viplove Thakur equated demonetisation to imposing “financial emergency” in the country.
“The RBI has failed to do its constitutional duty at the time of demonetisation, due to which people had to suffer a lot. The misery of the people has not ended. They are still suffering,” Ashok Tanwar alleged.
Former city MP, Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “We decided to gherao the RBI because it has failed to do its constitutional duty and has happily surrendered its autonomy.”
Meanwhile, only four Haryana MlAs of the 17 had turned up for the protest even as Viplove Thakur had recently said that all Congress MlAs in Haryana have been asked to join the protest. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, ClP leader Kiran Chaudhary, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala among others stayed away from the protest.