People were brought on streets with their money declared illegal. Indians stood in endless lines & many died outside banks, millions of jobs...

DMK president M.K. Stalin issued a severe critique of the 2016 currency demonetization, characterizing it as a catastrophic man-made disaster that inflicted irreversible trauma on the Indian economy. Stalin recalled the unprecedented national turmoil where ordinary citizens were suddenly forced onto the streets as their hard-earned legal tender was declared invalid overnight. He highlighted the heartbreaking spectacle of millions of citizens standing in endless queues outside banks and automated teller machines, resulting in scores of tragic deaths among elderly citizens.

Stalin emphasized that the abrupt currency invalidation dismantled the informal economic foundation that sustains hundreds of millions of workers. Unorganized laborers lost their livelihoods, agricultural supply chains collapsed, and small manufacturing enterprises across industrial clusters were permanently forced to shutter operations. Instead of capturing illegal wealth as promised, the exercise returned virtually all demonetized currency into the banking system, exposing the measure as a profound failure of fiscal policy.

Stalin affirmed that the economic devastation caused by demonetization remains an enduring testament to authoritarian governance. He stressed that economic policy must serve human welfare rather than reckless executive experiments. He urged citizens to unite against detrimental financial policies.