Mangaluru: As Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank would be merged with the Bank of Baroda on April 1, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has called upon the people to observe April 1 as a Black Day.

DYFI State President Muneer Katipalla accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not respecting the sentiments of the people of the coast who are closely associated with the Vijaya Bank. Attavar A B Shetty and Mulki Sundaram Shetty from Mangaluru had worked hard for the growth of Vijaya Bank, which was among the few profit making public sector banks. Vijay Bank was a symbol of identity and pride of coastal Karnataka, he informed

Muneer alleged that Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje had failed in convincing Modi to stop the merger. As we are unable to stop the merging process, we need to observe April 1 as Black Day, he said.

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had recently dismissed applications filed by several bank officers’ associations seeking a stay on the merger.