'We thought people would understand': Left Front red-faced after demonetization bandh fails in Bengal

 The Left Front was left red-faced as its 12-hour strike to protest the Centre's demonetization of high-denomination currency notes failed to evoke much response from the people, with front chairman Biman Bose acknowledging that the "thought" behind it was wrong. 

"We thought that the people would understand the reason behind the strike. The thought we had was not right; it was wrong. We have understood this. We will take lessons from it in the future. We will discuss it at the party meetings," he candidly told reporters. However, Bose argued that the strike was called at a "very short notice".

"We hope the people will understand next month why we had called the strike. Banks, ATMs are out of money, so how will they run their families in the days to come? It is a complex issue which the people will understand from their personal experiences," he said.

The strike was announced by the Left parties at 8 pm on November 25 after an urgent meeting called by the front. It failed to evoke much response since government and private buses, trams and other modes of transport, including private vehicles, were seen plying on the roads normally, while most of the shops and markets remained open.

Train services of the Eastern Railway in Sealdah and Howrah sections, besides Metro Rail services, were also normal, Railway sources said.
Bose said the strike was called to protest the Centre's decision to demonetise high-value currency notes and demand more time for the masses to tide over the hardship.
"We had never demanded a rollback of the decision as the TMC had. We are not against unearthing of black money. What we had demanded was more time for the people to absorb the effects of the decision," he added.

Arch rival Trinamool Congress, which too is against the Centre's move, said it was good that the Left Front had understood the "futility" of calling strikes.
TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said, "It is good that they have understood the basic fact that the people are fed up with strikes and bandhs. A strike puts a lot of economic burden on the state. We too had opposed the demonetiazion and demanded a rollback. They could have taken out a rally. But no, as TMC had a rally scheduled for today, they called a strike." 

Terming as "flop show" the nationwide strike and protest calls given by opposition parties today, BJP said people have rejected both as they have no faith in "tainted" parties behind them.

"People have rejected those who support black money and corruption and appreciated the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against black money and corruption. The leaders behind the calls for 'Bharat Bandh' and 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' are tainted and have been rejected by people," BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said.
The Congress President and the vice president are involved in the National Herald case and out on bail, he said and alleged that the Saradha scam had tainted TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Samajwadi Party is running its government in Uttar Pradesh with the support of land and mining mafias, while BSP chief Mayawati is accused of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam, he alleged, targeting opposition parties behind the 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' call.
Attacking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said his party's MLAs are accused of various crimes and added it appears that the black money he had kept has gone waste with demonetiazion of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
"Any call given by such leaders was bound to flop. BJP expresses its thanks to people for rejecting these parties," Sharma said. 

Accusing the Centre of being "anti-poor", non-BJP parties hit the streets across the country to protest against scrapping of high currency notes disrupting normal life in Left-ruled states of Kerala and Tripura where a bandh was observed.
As the Centre's demonetisation drive completes three weeks, the protests were staged as part of the opposition's 'Jan Aakrosh Divas'.
Terming as "flop show" the nation-wide strike and protest calls given by the opposition parties, the BJP said people have rejected both as they have no faith in "tainted" parties behind them.
 

While the Left constituents called a 12-hour bandh, other parties including Congress and TMC only held protests. JD(U) and BJD did not participate in the protests.

Hundreds of workers from various Opposition parties, led by DMK, were arrested when they staged protests across Tamil Nadu. The parties slammed the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as a "war on rural poor" that was causing "hardship" to the common man.

DMK Treasurer M K Stalin, state secretaries of CPI-M and CPI G Ramakrishnan and R Mutharasan respectively, along with a several workers of their parties were among those arrested when they staged protests separately in front of central government offices and nationalised banks, police said.

During their protest in the national capital, seven Left parties including the CPI(M) and CPI decried the invalidation of old currency notes as "anti-poor and pro-corporate" and demanded that the government let people use these notes until it makes new notes available.

Gwalior district Congress President Darshan Singh died of cardiac arrest in Gwalior soon after submitting a memorandum during the 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' protest. Gwalior Divisional Commissioner S N Roopla said Singh was part of a Congress delegation which came for submitting the memorandum to him.

In Kerala, the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF sponsored 12-hour strike against demonetisation evoked a near total response.
Shops and business establishments downed shutters and state- run KSRTC and private buses kept off the roads across the state in response to the strike which began at 6 AM.

The Left Democratic Front took out marches at various places with state CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan here attacking the Centre for causing 'hardship' to the people in the name of its crackdown on black money. The Opposition Congress-led UDF, which did not participate in the hartal, took out a march to the Raj Bhavan instead to register its protest against the Centre's decision to scrap high value notes and consequent crisis in the state's cooperative sector.

Ruling Congress in Karnataka held protests and rallies throughout the state against demonetisation. The protest affected the functioning of both the Houses of Karnataka Legislature, now in a 10-day winter session at Belagavi, as they did not sit today in line with the decision taken by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).

Life in Bengaluru and elsewhere remained normal with commercial establishments, educational institutions, banks and private offices working as usual and public transport and Metro maintaining their regular services.

The state-wide 12-hour strike called by Left parties to in West Bengal failed to evoke much response. Government and private buses, trams and other private vehicles were seen plying on the road while most of the shops and markets were open. The strike call by the Left Front has been opposed by the ruling TMC.

Train services of Eastern Railway in Sealdah and Howrah sections, besides Metro Rail services were also normal.

Normal life was hit in Left-ruled Tripura with schools, colleges and shops remaining closed and vehicles staying off the roads. However, banks were open as they were out of the purview of the bandh.

In Maharashtra, Congress and NCP hit the streets though normal life remained unaffected with no disruption to public transport or functioning of offices and businesses in Mumbai and other parts.