Demonetisation death: Congress gives Rs 50,000 aid to man's family

NEW DELHI: Delhi Congress today extended a financial aid of Rs 50,000 to the wife of Satish Sharma who died waiting in a queue outside a bank in southwest Delhi to deposit money yesterday and demanded the Centre to give compensation to his family and others who have died following the demonetisation move.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee ( DPCC) chief Ajay Maken today met the family of 49-year-old Sharma at DDU hospital where his post-mortem was being conducted following his death.

Sharma was sole bread winner of his family.

His wife suffers from severe arthritis because of which she cannot walk and also she has nobody in the family to support her, Maken said raising the demand for compensation.

"Other people who died while standing in long queues before banks and those who have died due to 'notebandi' (demonetisation) should also be given compensation by the Modi government," Maken said in a statement.

He alleged that "faulty" implementation of demonetization has created a financial emergency as "unemployment has increased, people are losing their jobs and goods are not selling" as Delhi is now facing "reverse migration".

"People have started to leave Delhi as life has become unbearable for the poor and the common people due to cash crunch," Maken said.

He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not "bothering" to explain reasons behind demonetisation move in the Parliament and demanded that he should tell whom it will benefit and why only poor and not the rich people were seen in the queues in front of banks and ATMs.

Sharma had died yesterday after he collapsed while standing in queue outside a bank to deposit Rs 50,000 in demonetised currency notes in south-west Delhi's Najafgarh area.

A resident of Uttam Nagar, Sharma used to work as a vegetable vendor in Keshopur Mandi.