It is indeed a heartening trend to see unlikely political allies like the Congress and Shiv Sena rally behind the Left government in Kerala in their protest against the RBI directive against exchange of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes at the District Cooperative Banks (DCB).
It was Shiv Sena's unexpected show of solidarity that took all by surprise, more than the Congress party's support to the said cause. An ally of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala,the Shiv Sena on Friday came out in support of the LDF government's move to stage a sit-in satyagraha in front of the RBI in Thiruvananthapuram.
Shiv Sena workers in the state also held a solidarity march to the RBI office in the state capital in this regard. That they held aloft a banner displaying the picture of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sure added political zest to the whole show.
The organisation had also condemned the 'sudden' demonetisation drive through its mouthpiece 'Samna' with Maharashtra too joining in the chorus of rising protests along with Kerala, Odisha and Punjab against the Centre's move.
Apart from the Shiv Sena, the Congress party in Kerala too had extended its unstinted support to the Chief Minister's protest. Former state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had strongly condemned the Centre’s decision to target the cooperative sector.
Other organisations like the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Kerala Gazetted Officers Association (KGOA) too held marches to express their solidarity with the Left and its allies in the matter.