Bhubaneswar: The BJD has stuck to its policy of maintaining equal distance from the BJP and the Congress and refrained from joining hands with the either party on the demonetisation anniversary on Wednesday.
While the BJP celebrated, the Congress-led Opposition observed it as a black day. On November 8 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that all existing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes would cease to be legal tender.
BJD MP Balabhadra Majhi said: "We have not seen any visible impact of demonetisation. Neither Maoist activities have been reduced nor corruption has been curtailed."
The Congress on Wednesday held a march from the Congress Bhavan to the Reserve Bank India office in the city and organised a protest meeting there.
Senior Congress leaders, including Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan, senior Congress leader Srikant Jena and others, spoke on the occasion, targeting the Modi government.
Harichandan said: "The entire economy has been hit. The business class and the common man have been badly affected by the demonetisation process. Modi has betrayed the nation." The party, too, organised protest rallies across all the districts.
The Left parties, including the CPI, CPM, CPI(ML), Forward Bloc and the SUCI, on Wednesday organised a protest meeting near Master Canteen Square, opposing the Centre's demoneitisation and implementation of the GST.
The Aam Admi Party, too, hammered the Modi government on this issue and observed the day as "Betrayal Day". Their activists also burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi near the RBI office.
The Trinamul Congress organised a protest rally near Lower PMG Square, terming the government of back-stabbing people. "The Narendra Modi government should go immediately," said Trinamul Congress state chief Arjya Kumar Gyanendra.
On the other hand, the BJP celebrated the day by organising a signature campaign to mobilise the support on demonetisation. In the evening, the party held a meeting to celebrate the occasion.
"It has been one of boldest decisions of Narendra Modi to deal with black money. The country has benefited immensely from the move," said Union tribal minister Jual Oram.
