Oppn to protest in Parliament till PM replies; Govt calls them irresponsible'
New Delhi: On a day when they were observing 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' to protest demonetisation, opposition parties on Monday held a strategy meet where they decided to continue their stir in Parliament till Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to their concerns and a JPC probe is announced in alleged leak of the decision.
A meeting of all the opposition parties, barring JD(U), was held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament House here and it was decided that the protests will continue till their demands are met, sources said.
However, some fissures also appeared in the opposition as the JD(U) skipped the meeting with sources saying party leader Sharad Yadav had left Delhi early this morning.
The opposition parties have been divided over the ways to protest against demonetisation ever since Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee decided to march to the President against it.
While she was joined by AAP, National Conference and Shiv Sena, an NDA ally, other opposition parties stayed away.
Shiv Sena has backed demonetisation but said it is unhappy over the way it was causing problems to people.
Asserting that the entire nation is backing the government's demonetisation drive, Union Minister Ananth Kumar on Monday reprimanded the opposition over the planned 'Aakrosh Divas' and said that they must engage in parliamentary debate instead of acting in an irresponsible manner.
"If they are protesting then they should be protesting against corruption, black money, fake currency and terrorism. I just don't understand that they are fighting in an opposite direction. The entire country is with the government in this crusade against black money and corruption under the leadership of Narendra Modi but the Congress and other opposition parties are acting in a opposite direction," he said.
"Even today I want to tell them that if you want to show your anguish protest against corruption, black money and terrorism, participate in a debate in both the houses we are ready to give reply also but I don't understand why they are running away from debate and working in a opposite direction," he added.
The opposition parties have called for a countrywide protest today against what they call the government's "mishandling" of the currency ban. Only the Left Front, which has a presence in Kerala, Bengal and Tripura, has called for a strike or 'Bharat Bandh' in the three states.
Banks, ATM services, post offices, hospital and medical clinics, ambulance, milk, water and power supplies, newspapers and marriages would be out of the purview of the strike.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday slammed the opposition for its all-India shutdown call over demonetisation, saying the country instead needed an end to evils like corruption and black money.
He described demonetisation as a cure to the 70-year-old disease of corruption.
