Kolkata: The CPI(M) will hit the streets from New Year Day to protest Narendra Modi government’s demonetisation drive. The decision was taken at party’s state committee meeting which was presided over by general secretary Sitaram Yechury. “ From January 1 to January 10, the party will organise street meetings and protest rallies across the state to demand the end to common people’s hardships and harassment due to demonetisation decision,” a statement issued at the conclusion of two-day meeting said.
With Mamata Banerjee has already announced that her Trinamul Congress will launch “ Modi hatao desh bachao” movement from January 1 to 8. Alimuddin Street sources said that the CPI(M) satraps took the decision in a bid to rejuvenate the party organisation and galvanise their cadres to face the upcoming challenges. “We realised that Mamata Banerjee has stolen a march over us by being in the forefront of the fight against demonetisation. Therefore, we decided to call upon our cadres to hit the street next week against the Centre with a vengeance,” a CPI(M) leader said.
The CPI(M) which had worked in tandem with the Congress, Trinamul Congress and other anti-BJP parties to corner the NDA government during the tumultuous winter session of Parliament, decided against attending the opposition parties’ meeting convened by the Congress in Delhi on Tuesday. The CPI(M) apparently took the decision because it did not want to share stage with Mamata Banerjee who addressed a joint news conference sitting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The state committee also decided that the party would organise anti-demonetisation movements on its own.
It was decided that CPI(M) workers would organise protest movements across the state from January 1 to 10. CPI(M) state secretary Surjyakanta Mishra submitted a report on this which was discussed in the two-day meeting. Forty-three members took part in the discussion and gave their opinions on the report.
Significantly, on the first day of the two-day state committee meeting, the state party leadership faced strong criticism from some members for giving a call for a 12-hour general strike on November 28 when the people were reeling under the effects of demonetisation. According to a senior state committee member, the decision was taken in haste and was against the interest of the common people.
“The party leadership failed to read the pulse of the people. When the people were already suffering due to demonetisation then what was the need to inconvenience them further by giving a call for a strike?” wondered a senior party leader.
