Demonetisation: Bandh affects life in states

The stir affected life in some states like Bihar and Kerala. While most of the parties, including Congress, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), NCP and AAP, held demonstration and protests marches, the Left parties and their allied outfits gave call for a bandh. 

According to reports, workers and supporters of CPI(ML) and other like-minded parties blocked rail traffic by stopping trains at different places including Patna. 

The supporters and workers of the Left parties, including the CPI, CPI-M, CPI (ML) and others, stopped over a dozen long route trains at Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur railway stations. 

The stir also impacted life in Odisha as BJD-led state government has ordered closure of schools and colleges for the day. 

A report from Kolkata, quoting official sources said that, 12-hour bandh called by the Left Parties began Monday morning but the life in the state capital and other towns was by and large normal. 

The ruling AITC has opposed the Leftists’ bandh call but it is the part of the opposition’s nationwide protests, a party spokesman said in New Delhi.  Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already clarified that there was no idea of a bandh at the meeting of the opposition leaders that had decided to hold nationwide Aakrosh Divas on November 28, the spokesman said. 

However, the bandh call has affected life in Leftists-ruled Kerala as Thiruvananthapuram the state capital and some other towns observed hartal. Samajwadi party workers held protests in Allahabad and other towns of Uttar Pradesh. The DMK workers held protests in Chennai against the move of demonetisation.