Govt made people stand like beggars for their money: Delhi Congress

NEW DELHI: As people continued to grapple with the cash crisis, Delhi Congress today hit out at the Modi government, saying demonetisation has made people "stand like beggars" outside banks, and demanded compensation for the kin of those people who have died "due to its impact".

49-year-old Uttam Nagar resident Satish Kumar, who used to work as a vegetable vendor in Keshopur Mandi, 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.

Senior Congress leader and former MLA Mukesh Sharma expressed his condolences to the family of the victim, and "demanded from both the Centre and the Delhi government to grant compensation to him and other such person who have died died due to the impact of demonetisation."

"It is 14 days since the demonetisation came into effect, but still long queues can be seen outside the banks, and it shows that the RBI did not provide adequate valid currency notes in banks, due to which poor and middle-class people are not able to withdraw their hard-earned money," he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

The former MLA also hit out at the Centre, over the inconvenience faced by people, who have marriage in their families.

"Government's bad policy has jeopardised marraiges and engagements of several girls. Only a few industrialists have been made to benefit out of this exercise, while the rest of the country is suffering," Sharma alleged.

"And, if the Centre does not take appropriate measure in coming days then Congress would be forced to take to the streets, for which the government would be totally responsible," he said.