Demonetisation: Congress stages protest

Thiruvananthapuram: Joining the nation-wide agitation against demonetisation of high value currency notes, thousands of Congress workers in the State Friday staged protest outside central government offices across the state.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala courted arrest in front of the Reserve Bank of India regional office here.

The mass agitation was part of the country-wide stir called by All India Congress Committee from booth to national level against the Narendra Modi government's anti-people policies and its failure to resolve the problems faced by common man, hit by demonetisation.

Prominent leaders, MLAs, MPs and AICC representatives led the picketing in front of various central government offices, including head-post offices in the districts.

A large number of workers, led by Chennithala, staged demonstration at the RBI office here in the state capital.

Senior district leaders, including MP Shashi Tharoor and MLA V S Sivakumar also took part in the protests.

Hundreds of party workers from various parts of the district took out a march to the apex bank office in the city.

There were reports of scuffle during the protest when party workers tried to break the police barricade and enter the office premises.

Veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy launched the agitation in front of the head-post office in Kozhikode, while KPCC president V M Sudheeran led the protest in Thrissur district.

AICC secretary Deepak Babria too held the protest before the BSNL office in Kochi.

The protests were organised under the aegis of respective District Congress Committees.