BJP Ally Shiv Sena Will Join Mamata's March Against Notes Ban Tomorrow

NEW DELHI:  Main opposition party Congress will not join a march organised by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress at noon tomorrow to petition the President against the Government's decision to abolish 500 and 1000 rupee notes. But the ruling BJP's ally, the Shiv Sena, will.

Here are the top 10 developments:

A day before Parliament convenes for the winter session and as battle lines were drawn, the picture of unity that both the government and opposition had flaunted on Monday seemed to fade.

The Shiv Sena - whose chief Uddhav Thackeray has criticised the government for the hardships that the demonetisation has caused to common people - had at a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance yesterday joined other partners in backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his decision, aimed at uncovering crores in black or untaxed money.

But today the party's Sanjay Raut said, "The Shiv Sena will meet the President in the leadership of Mamata Banerjee." The West Bengal chief minister had called Mr Thackeray, Mr Raut said, adding, "It is not about opposition or ruling parties it's about the trouble faced by the people."

But the Congress, which had hosted opposition parties yesterday to plan a united response on demonistisation, today said it is unlikely to join the march. Leaders said the party wants to raise the issue in parliament first before escalating the matter to the



President.

Mamata Banerjee's party however wants to meet the President straightaway on the notes ban, which Ms Banerjee has called a "draconian decision" that punishes common people who have had to line up or hours at banks to exchange old notes for money to buy essentials.

They will put up a united face in Parliament though, with both parties and the Janata Dal United moving notices to suspend all work on the very first day to debate demonetisation and its impact on people.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party and the National Conference of Omar Abdullah have said they will join the march from Parliament House to Rashtrapati Bhawan, the presidential palace.

PM Modi has rejected all demands to withdraw the notes ban. He told a group of his party's top lawmakers on Monday that the "country has welcomed the move," but the "opposition is trying to sabotage it."

The PM made it clear that the government will not be defensive about a decision that he said holds long-term benefits for the country, though he has repeatedly acknowledged the hardships that common people are facing amid the cash crunch after the move.

The government will however have to give in to the opposition's demand for an immediate debate on the issue to ensure minimum disruption of the session and the support it needs to push two bills related to its mega reform the Goods and Services Tax, a unified tax it hopes to implement by April 1 next year.