Demonetisation: Mamata meets RBI Governor, conveys plight of masses especially tea garden workers

Kolkata (WB) [India], Dec. 15 (ANI): After meeting RBI Governor Urjit Patel, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she had highlighted all views and issues on behalf of the commoners who have suffered immensely in the aftermath of demonetisation. "From Maharashtra to Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, Chennai to Kolkata I gave my views on behalf of the commoners. But after meeting him, I felt immensely satisfied as I got an opportunity to express my views before him," she told the media. "I informed everything what is going on throughout the country. The hardship of the people from the agriculture sector, the small shopkeepers, traders even the tea garden workers etc. More than 5 crores people are become jobless now, people are starving for death and they are dying. No plan was there before demonetization, ATMs are not working properly," she added. Calling the move a big massacre, she said, "Our workers in all sectors have returned back to their respective land because of the demonetisation. Many people who used to work here from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh have also returned to their states. We have asked all the states to find a solution to it." Banerjee has been criticising RBI on the way demonetisation of high-value currency notes has being implemented. She also criticised Patel's 'silence' on the issue. "RBI is an institute and we respect it. We want the RBI to maintain the situation and the politics going on as it is their responsibility. The decision was taken by the Prime Minister, but the RBI should face the people but they are not even saying anything on this," she added. She also urged the Centre and the RBI to "extend a helping hand to tea garden workers", who she alleged were 'dying' in the aftermath of demonetisation. The Trinamool Congress supremo had on Wednesday demanded that the RBI restore and continue payments by the state government till March 2017. TMC legislators and senior state ministers organised a sit-in in front of the Reserve Bank of India office in Kolkata yesterday to protest against the insufficient supply of new currency notes in the state. Banerjee also accused the central government of discriminating between states with regard to disbursement of cash from the RBI. (ANI)