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Opposition seeks PM's apology

Note-worthy: Rahul, MPs stage dharna against 'inconvenience'
Last Updated 28 November 2016, 19:36 IST

A united Opposition is in no mood to relent on its protests over demonetisation till Prime Minister Narendra Modi tenders an apology for “insulting” Parliament by not apprising it of the decisions taken by him.

On a day when Opposition parties took out separate protest marches across the country, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi joined a large number of Parliamentarians in the Parliament premises to stage a demonstration over the hardship faced by citizens in the aftermath of the currency ban.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s offer of an olive branch, assuring that the prime minister would intervene in the debate in Parliament, was met with strong rejection.

“Is he obliging Parliament by agreeing to intervene in the debate? He transgressed the boundaries of Parliamentary norms. None of the circulars regarding note ban have been tabled in Parliament,” Anand Sharma, deputy leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, told DH.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien said the Opposition wanted an apology from Modi for putting the people of the country through hardship by denying full access to their hard-earned money.

Modi has raised the hackles of the Opposition by virtually painting them as “black money holders”.

“Some people are criticising saying the government did not make ample preparation... I think the pain of such people is that the government did not give a chance to make any preparation,” he had said last week.

Former finance minister

P Chidambaram hit out at the government’s assertions on the benefits of demonetisation. “Bank branches are not allowing withdrawal, rationing notes and our government says all is well,” he said on Twitter.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad chaired a meeting of leaders of several Opposition parties on Monday morning to chalk out a joint strategy for the coming week in Parliament. “We will continue to protest till our demands are met,” Azad told reporters.

Opposition parties like the BJD and the TRS have not joined others, while JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has publicly supported the demonetisation drive.

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(Published 28 November 2016, 19:36 IST)

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