Demonetisation only brought hardship for the common man, DMK Working President M K Stalin said on Wednesday leading the opposition charge against the NDA government’s note ban move on its first anniversary here.

Clad in a black shirt, Stalin led a well-attended ‘Karuppu Dinam’ (Black Day) protest of the main opposition party in the state here and raised slogans against the Narendra Modi government for note ban.

Slamming the NDA government on implementing demonetisation, following which then high-value currency of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 ceased to exist, he alleged that it only ended up causing “hardship” for the common man.

Following the announcement, people queued up outside banks and ATMs, with some “dying” while waiting in the long lines, in different parts of the country, he said.

“This day (November 8) has just turned to be a day that brought despair to 125 crore people of the country although they (BJP) promised they will eradicate black money,” Stalin, also Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly said.

The note ban decision was an “unexpected” one and was announced in the night, he said in reference to Modi breaking the news last year on November 8.

“We got freedom in midnight (in 1947). But, we have lost our freedom in the midnight,” he said in an apparent symbolical reference to the announcement made by Modi in the late evening.

Stalin and his supporters raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government, questioning whether the objectives of implementing note ban, including eradication of black money, were achieved.

Senior DMK leaders, Durai Murugan and Kanimozhi, led a protest in Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore, respectively.

DMK men wore black shirts, while women supporters, besides leaders like Kanimozhi, were clad in black sarees.

The Congress and IUML, allies of the DMK, also staged protests in different parts of the state like Chennai and Karur.

The DMK had earlier said it would observe November 8, the first anniversary of demonetisation, as ‘Black Day’ and stage demonstrations in all district headquarters of Tamil Nadu.

However, it had later announced deferring the protests in eight rain-affected districts, including Chennai.

Eighteen political parties, including the Congress had earlier decided to hold protests in every state against the NDA government’s decision on note ban, saying it “caused hardship to the people.