Opposition’s protest on demonetisation to fail tomorrow, masses with government: BJP

Claiming that the masses were with the government on demonetisation, BJP on Sunday voiced confidence that the protest called by certain opposition parties on Monday will not be successful and said parties like Congress were already retreating and not calling it a ‘Bharat bandh’.

“It is quite evident that the country is united and with us on demonetisation. There are only a few parties who have supported the call for ‘Bharat bandh’. Those who were raising their voices earlier are also stepping back in fear now,” Union minister Babul Supriyo told reporters at the BJP headquarters.

“Even if it’s a ‘Bharat bandh’, there can be attempts of violence or unruly behaviour. The administration will be alert and all arrangements will be in place to avoid any unfortunate situation,” he added.

Supriyo attacked Congress leader Manish Tewari for tweeting an old video clip where the Union minister is seen allegedly being beaten up by the people while he had gone to take part in a protest.

“Spreading this video by retweeting himself...the Congress is not realising that it is not helping itself, but us,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Congress clarified that it had not called for a ‘Bharat bandh’ on Monday, but will stage protests across the country against the Centre’s decision to demonetise high-value currency notes, which it alleged was a “political move being sold as a fight against corruption”.

While a “united opposition” attacked the Centre in Parliament last week over the “poor implementation” of the demonetisation step, some of the parties have called for a nationwide strike on Monday in protest against the move.

Meanwhile, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu took a jibe at the Congress for planning to stage protests on Monday.

“Congress is clearly rattled by certain transformational results...this is the clear reason for it being angry,” he said.

“Realising the popular support to remonetisation, it is now calling its countrywide bandh ‘akrosh’ rallies. From this, it is clear that all of this is aimed at finding some space in the media as it has clearly lost its space at the debating forum of Parliament and in the minds of the people,” Naidu added.

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