Co-operative bankers from across Kerala protested outside the RBI branch in Thiruvananthapuram.
A week after the government banned Rs 500 and 1000 notes, the long queues outside ATMs in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram have finally started to ease. However, the wait is still long in other districts of the state.
25-year-old Lijesh MP in rural Kozikode was the last in a queue of over 100 people. "I rushed to the ATM in the morning but looks looking at the line it looks like I will be very late for work," he said.
But cutting through the political divide between the CPM and the Congress, co-operative bankers from across Kerala protested outside the Reserve Bank of India branch office in Thiruvananthapuram.
1565 co-operative societies under the state government, which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the RBI have been forced to stop functioning for now after the high currency ban.
With cash of over 1.5 lakh crore rupees deposited with them, the co-operative banks have been a mainstay of rural Kerala, but have also been criticised by official sources in central government as source of black money in the state. Most of the co-operative societies in Kerala are headed by men with political affiliations.
"The mainstream banks have a lot of formalities but we allow the rural people to make deposits with minimal regulations. Co-operative banks are all about rural savings and not black money. It's an important bridge between rural Kerala and mainstream banks," CP John, President of Co-operative Banks Association told NDTV.