Congress holds protest outside RBI on demonetisation anniversary

New Delhi : Several senior Congress leaders on Friday staged a protest outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the second anniversary of demonetisation that was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016.

The Congress in a statement said the protest was to highlight the "miseries of the nation" since the last two years under the Modi regime.

"It is a protest against failed demonetisation of Modi government where common people of the nation suffered its grave consequences," it said.

The police detained the protesters and took them to Parliament Street Police Station.

All India Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev tweeted: "Arrested from outside the RBI. Never seen Delhi Police act so fast against growing crime as they did in arresting us for protesting against demonetisation disaster."

Apart from Dev, Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Keshav Yadav, Manish Chatrath and Naseeb Singh were among those detained by the police.

Apart from Delhi, the Congress in Guwahati, Chandigarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) also held protests against the Centre's decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in 2016.

On Thursday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had called the note ban a "cruel conspiracy" and a "criminal financial scam".

Other opposition leaders including TMC Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too attacked the Narendra Modi government, saying the note ban had harmed the informal economy.