Protests successful, claim Left parties

- 105 activists arrested, released on bail
- Normal largely remain unaffected

Visakhapatnam: In line with the call to ‘Aakrosh Divas’, Left parties, YSRCP and Congress on Monday organised a protest at different parts of the city against demonetisation. They demanded revival of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in the interest of the poorer sections of the society.

The parties took out rallies from RTC Complex to Maddilapalem Junction on the National Highway and Jagadamba junction where they held protests against the Central government. Around 105 activists were taken into custody and later released on self bail. Normal life was not affected though the leaders of Left parties claimed that shops pulled down shutters voluntarily.

CPI State joint secretary G Satyanarayana Murthy said over 90 per cent of the shops were closed in support of the protest and the government should realise that their decision had affected the common man.

He said there were thousands of villages which have no electricity and mobile signal was out of reach in lakhs of villages. He wondered how e-PoS, e-shopping and e-payments would work under weak and uncertain internet system in the rural and Agency areas. CPM city secretary Dr B Ganga Rao said that it was unfortunate that the TDP has been supporting the Central government instead of pressurising them. He demanded that the Central government should rollback its decision.

The police picked up CPI, CPM and YSRCP activists from Maddilapalem, Jagadamba, Gajuwaka, Gopalapatnam and Pendurthy and were lodged in different police stations.

Rao alleged that the police came down on them, when they were taking out peaceful procession.