In order to protest against the Centre’s twin policies of demonetization and Goods and Services Tax (GST), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked everyone to change their Twitter display picture to black. She set an example by changing hers on Monday, two days ahead of November 8, the first anniversary of demonetization.
She dubbed GST as Great Selfish Tax. ‘Great Selfish Tax to harass people. To take away jobs. To hurt businesses. To finish the economy. GoI failed to tackle #GST’, she tweeted.
Inviting people for the protest, she tweeted, ‘#Noteban is a disaster. On #Nov8BlackDay to protest against this scam that destroyed the economy. Let us also change our Twitter DP to black’.
Quick to respond was TMC MP and party spokesperson Derek O’Brien who followed suit. ‘Responding to @MamataOfficial to make DP black as form of protest for Demo scam. Appeal to all to do the same. Go black #Nov8BlackDay’, he tweeted.
Party sources said GST, demonetization and linking Aadhaar with phone and bank accounts would be some of the biggest issues at the winter session of Parliament. Mamata, on October 25, during the meeting of the extended core committee meeting had said, “We were never against GST. What we objected to was the improper, unplanned implementation of GST which resulted in the misery of many.”