Demonetisation anniversary: Government and Opposition parties spar

New Delhi: Union ministers fanned out across the country to highlight the crackdown on black money to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation yesterday which the BJP celebrated as "Anti Black Money Day" while the Congress-led opposition observed it as "Black Day" with street protests.

A Congress worker participates in a Black Day protest against demonetisation in Bhopal. PIC/PTI

One year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his decision to demonetise high value currency notes, there were emotional speeches and number crunching and some poetry besides protests by the opposition parties. Modi posted a series of tweets and some short films on his Twitter handle to showcase the benefits it brought. It had, he said, formalised the economy and ensured better jobs for the poor, while cleansing the financial system.

But the opposition parties were unimpressed. The Congress and the Left parties held demonstrations across the country, while the RJD organised rallies in Bihar, and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.