Lakhs of people came out into the streets on November 28 to protest against the BJP government’s attack on their livelihoods and the burdens imposed upon the people through the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. Below we publish reports from the states.

KERALA

A protest march was taken out by the LDF in Trivandrum against the government's demonetisation policy which has created cash crisis in the country. Kerala government has been in the forefront of the struggle and has demanded that cooperative banks be allowed to exchange notes. Though the central government had initially promised to carry on the exchange till December, they have now stopped it. This march was led by CPI(M) state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Central Committee member, Thomas Isaac.

TRIPURA

The 12 hour general strike in Tripura called by the Tripura Left Front committee on November 28 to protest against the plight of common masses caused by the move of demonetisation was a huge success. It took the shape of a bandh in the state. Schools, colleges, offices, markets, shops remained closed.  Public transport was off the road. The trains did not ply. There was no work in tea gardens and industrial areas. However banks, post offices, hospitals, power  and other emergency services were exempted. The farmers too participated in the strike. There were provocations in some places by the BJP to open shops and thereby hamper the mood of protest. But people rejected them. Earlier on November 26, the Left Front all over the state had organised mass dharnas for two hours to protest against the suffering of the people caused by the move of cancelling old currency notes.

DELHI

At the call of seven Left parties to observe 28^th November All India Protest Day scores of workers, teachers and students’ in Delhi marched to the Parliament against demonetization. The principal demand was that till alternative arrangements of making  new currency notes available is put in place or till December 30, the deadline issued by the central government, the 1000 and 500 rupee notes should be allowed for all legal transactions, payments and settlements. The rally was addressed by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary Atul Anjan, CPI(ML) Liberation Politburo member Kavita Krishnan, SUCI(Communist) Central Committee member Satyawan, AIFB national secretary G Devrajan and leaders of RSP and CGPI. Yechury said the PM claims that demonetisation will put an end to terrorism as cash transactions will no more be possible but gone are those days when cash transactions used to happen, terrorists resort to electronic transactions. In Bihar and several other places the BJP has purchased landed property and made huge deposits in their bank accounts just before demonetisation which exposes their lies, he said.

BENGAL

The CPI(M) along with 17 other parties had called for a 12 hours state-wide strike action on November 28. A protest rally was held from Moulali to Park Circus in Kolkata. The state government had tried its best to disrupt the strike. In Coochbehar Baxirhat, the TMC goons forced the small traders to open their shops. Ruling party cadres intimidated the auto drivers and forced them to work. The police and local TMC members had beaten Left activists.  CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra said if the TMC government had really supported the anti-demonetisation movement, then it would have refrained from using police force against the Left. He said workers across the sectors particularly in the manufacturing sector have lost their jobs due to demonetisation.

PUNJAB

Joint rallies, demonstrations, dharnas and protest marches were held by CPI, CPI(M), RMPI and CPI(M-L) Liberation all over the state against demonetisation. November 28 was observed as Black Day by industrial workers, small and medium industrialists, peasantry, agricultural labourers and women as they are facing a lot of problems. The rallies and dharnas were addressed by Hardev Arshi, CPI state secretary, Charan Singh Virdi, CPI(M) state secretary, Mangat Ram Pasla, RMPI state secretary and Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpura, CPI(M-L) Liberation secretary and many other senior leaders of the four Left parties. Impressive rallies, dharnas and demonstrations   were held at Ludhiana, Raikot, Jagraon, Jalabad, Samrala, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Nangal, Kharar, Mohali, Dera Bassi, Hoshiarpur, Garhshankar, Jalandhar, Nakodar, Kapurthala, Banga, Nawanshahar, Batala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, TarnTaran, Moga, Muktsar, Mansa, Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Sunam, Patiala, Rajpura, Patiala and other various places. At many places the effigies of Modi government were burnt.

HARYANA

Workers belonging to CPI(M), CPI, SUCI(C) and CPI(ML) took out joint protest demonstrations. Addressing the protests, the Left leaders questioned the motives of the BJP government behind the move which has brought the country to a standstill while there was no respite to the people's woes.CPI(M) leader Inderjit Singh criticised the PM for showing utter disregard by not attending the parliament to which he was accountable.

The protesters passed through the bazars and distributed handbills demanding continuation of the old currency notes till alternative arrangements were made, waving off the loans of farmers, effective steps to recover huge amounts of non-performing assets from corporate houses and compensation to those who lost their lives on failing to withdraw their hard-earned money and livelihood loss.

JHARKHAND

Left and secular opposition parties organised a dharna at Birsa Chowk in Ranchi, near the Jharkhand legislative assembly.

The dharna and mass meeting was presided over by Gopikant Baksi, CPI(M) state secretary. It was addressed by Babulal Marandi of JVM(P) who is a former chief minister, Subodh Kant Sahay (former union minister) of Congress, Rajendra Singh Munda (former MLA) and  state secretariat member of CPI(M), KD Singh, state secretary of CPI and by the leaders of JMM, RJD and Samajwadi Party. All the speakers severely condemned the demonetisation move taken by the prime minister, without making adequate alternate arrangements. People from different parts of the city marched in a rally and joined the dharna. 

Earlier, on November 25, Jharkhand Bandh call was given by Left and secular opposition parties, in protest against pro-corporate amendments to Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana Tenancy acts made by the BJP led state government. The bandh was very successful.

ASSAM

Expressing concern at the plight of the common people after the demonetisation drive, the "Left and Democratic Mancha, Assam" (LDMA), a common platform of 11 parties comprising of the CPI(M), CPI, CPI (ML), RCPI, AIFB, NCP, AAP, SP, Janata Dal (S), Asom Sangrami Mancha and the Liberal Democratic Party gave a call to observe protest day on November 28. The NCP, however, stayed away from the joint protest on the plea that they support the government’s move for demonetisation.

In Guwahati, the leaders, supporters and activists of the LDMA assembled near Dighali Pukhuri in the heart of the city and marched towards the regional office of the RBI for holding a massive demonstration. However, the district police administration imposed curbs on holding demonstrations etc in front of the RBI and prevented the protesters from marching towards the bank. When the demonstrators tried to defy law and break the police barricade, the police arrested a section of the protesters and detained them in Panbazar Police Station. Amongst the arrested leaders were CPI (M) State Secretary and Convenor of the LDMA Deben Bhattacharyya, AAP Coordinator Jinti Gogoi, RCPI leader Biren Deka, CPI activist Jayanta Gogoi and LDP General Secretary Guna Gogoi.

Protest actions were also organised in the districts of Barpeta, Nalbari, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Goalpara, Cachar, Karimgang etc.

MAHARASHTRA

Hundreds of activists of Left and Democratic Front in Mumbai belonging to various parties, namely, CPI(M), CPI, PWP, LNP, LNP(L), CPI(ML)Liberation, SUCI(C), Bharip-Bahujan Mahasangh and JD(S) participated in a militant demonstration and courting of arrest programme on November 28, at Churchgate station in Mumbai, to denounce the demonetisation measures of the BJP government. Mahendra Singh and Sonya Gill of CPI(M), Prakash Reddy of CPI, Prof SV Jadhav of PWP, Shyam Gohil of CPI(ML)Liberation and Anil Tyagi of SUCI(C) addressed the demonstrators. Dr SK Rege of CPI(M) moderated the programme. All the speakers lambasted the BJP government for the demonetisation measure, which led to unthinkable hardships to people due to severe currency crunch. They said the government has utterly failed to achieve its declared objectives of demonetisation measure. The leaders and activists staged satyagraha and courted arrest at the end of the protest as their assembly was declared unlawful.