With old notes banned at filling stations, SP struggles to meet turnout goals for Mulayam rally

BAREILY: Candidates and top leaders of Samajwadi Party's Bareilly unit are having a tough time making arrangements for ferrying crowd from nondescript villages to the GIC grounds in the heart of the city for party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s mega rally on December 7.
“The sudden ban on high-value notes at filling stations has put us in a fix. The money reserved for fuel during the run-up to the preparations consisted mostly of Rs 500 notes,” said a candidate, who has a crowd turnout target of 25,000 from his constituency.
Bareilly division comprises Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Badaun and Rampur districts as well. Office bearers and candidates from each assembly constituency have been given specific crowd turnout targets, ranging from 10,000 to 25,000.
The sudden ban on high-denomination notes at petrol pumps, effective from December 2, five days ahead of the party's mega rally, has upset all the plans of the candidates.
"We are in touch with all the candidates. Some of them have complained about the fact that banned notes are now not being accepted at filling stations. This will hit the crowd turnout from the rural areas, where the party or the respective candidate has to make arrangements for vehicle — mostly tractors and buses — to ferry villagers to the rally venue," said Ashok Yadav, district president of the party’s youth wing here.
Former Rajya Sabha MP and Bareilly district president of SP, Veerpal Singh, sounded apprehensive on the issue but later claimed that people still want to hear Mulayam Singh and would come on their own if transport arrangements fall short. "The craze for Netaji, especially in villages, has still not abated. The crowd turnout will be historic even if the arrangements are hit by demonetization," said Singh, adding that the currency ban will be one of the issues Mulayam Singh will talk about at the rally.
This is the first time the party will be politically taking up the issue to the public through their mega rally. "We were not protesting it just to oppose Modi's move. The long-term consequences will take a toll on the common man and we can now see it. We will take the issue up in a big way in our December 7 rally," Singh added.