THOUSANDS IN INDIA PROTEST AGAINST OBAMA VISIT

The following are the reports we received from the states as we go to press, on the nationwide protests at the call of the four Left parties, CPI (M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP on November 8, 2010 against the US president Obama’s visit to India.

WEST BENGAL

SMALL and big rallies in each and every district of Bengal marked the Left Front protest against the visit of Obama. In Jangal Mahal area, which witnessed the killing of five CPI (M) persons by the 'Maoists' in the last 24 hours, these protests were joined by people in large numbers. Salboni, Jhargram, Purulia, all witnessed vigorous protests against India becoming a strategic partner to US.

In Kolkata, a large rally was taken out on November 8 evening under the aegis of the Left Front. It was addressed by Left Front leaders of Kolkata. SFI held demonstrations across the state right from the morning. They squatted on roads in front of the institutions, including in Kolkata.

KERALA

US president Barack Obama's visit to India is more to secure the business interests of his country, said CPI (M) Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. He was addressing a protest rally in Kollam against the visit of US president to India. CPI (M) central committee member M A Baby, CPI (M) MP K Balagopal and other leaders also spoke in this well attended rally.

Vijayan explained the hegemonistic nature of USA that always needs an enemy and aggression to secure its interests. After wars and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, today it has marked Iran as its current enemy. He faulted Manmohan Singh government for trying to make India a junior partner to USA. He referred to how the US is blatantly supporting the rogue State of Israel in its inhuman blockade and aggression against Palestine.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Central Committee member and state finance minister Thomas Isaac led the protest rally at the Martyrs’ Column in Palayam. Protests were also held in hundreds of centres across the state where thousands of people marked their opposition to US president's visit and the imperialist policies of US government.

TRIPURA

TRIPURA too responded spontaneously to the country wide protest action called by the four Left parties. Slogan shouting processions and protest meetings were held all over the state to register the anguish of the masses against the imperialist policies of the US. At Agartala, the protest meeting was held at Sakuntala Road . Here CPI (M) state secretariat member Gautam Das addressed the meeting. He said the visit of the US president is aimed at making arms deal for the US companies and to save his country from the severe economic recession.

CPI (M) state secretary Bijan Dhar addressed the protest meeting at Kamalpur. He decried the Indo-US strategic alliance and criticised the central government severely for subjugating national honour and sovereignty before the US and said, unable to meet the economic crisis and growing unemployment at home Obama has come to India for pressurising the UPA II government to open up Indian market for the US exporters. He called for a wider struggle against the US imperialism.

ANDHRA PRADESH

US President Barack Obama's intention behind offering help to make India a permanent member of the UN Security Council is to make India toe the US line on all issues ranging from Iran to economic policies. The UPA-II government must place before the people of the country all agreements and discussions it had with the US side in a transparent manner.

CPI (M) Polit Bureau member and AP state unit secretary B V Raghavulu stated this while addressing a protest meeting against Obama's visit organised by the Left parties in Hyderabad on November 9. Earlier, he along with CPI state secretary K Narayana, Forward Bloc secretary Deshpande and RSP secretary Janakiramulu led a protest rally from RTC X Roads to Sundarayya Vignana Kendram. Loud slogans decrying American imperialism, Manmohan Singh government's kowtowing to it were raised by the protestors. Hundreds of people from all walks of life joined the protest march.

Raghavulu in his address said Obama had linked his UN offer to essentially four conditions which India must fulfil. One, joining the NPT; two, helping uphold human rights around the world; promoting democracy around the world and fourth, to cooperate in fighting terror. The CPI (M) leader explained the reality of each condition - pulling up Iran for pursuing peaceful use of nuclear energy while looking the other side on Israel's nuclear weapons; the biggest human rights violator in the world is USA with its brazen wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. So, what Obama meant was India must also join its future wars. As for democracy, US record in dislodging democratically elected governments in Latin America were pointed out. He termed Obama's call for cooperation in fighting terror as hypocrisy since it was the US which was shielding the Mumbai terror accused Headley by refusing to hand him over to India for investigations.

He demanded that the government of India must make clear its stand on these four demands made by Obama. He said the apprehensions of the Left about Obama's visit have been proved true with the outcome of the visit. The US economic interests took overriding precedence over our interests and our rulers were also seen actively working for safeguarding the interests of US. Raghavulu concluded by calling on the people to continue the fight to safeguard our nation from imperialism and against the negative fallout of various decisions taken during the visit.

CPI state secretary K Narayana in his address charged that Obama had come to India with a hidden agenda and Manmohan Singh, who himself has great love for US imperialism and World Bank, helped in realising the agenda of US.

Similar protest actions were held jointly by the Left parties across the state in around 120 centres attended by thousands of people.

TAMILNADU

THOUSANDS of cadres of the Left parties in Tamilnadu staged a vehement protest against the visit of American president Barack Obama, who came as the representative of the imperialist forces, to the country.

The protesters raised various issues including reluctance on the part of America to ensure justice for the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy. They also accused the UPA government of pursuing policies amounting to "surrender" of all sectors including retail market, education and defence, to the US interests.

At Chennai, thousands gathered under the red flag and raised slogans. CPI senior leader R NallaKannu, CPI (M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan, Forward Bloc state secretary P V Kathiravan and CPI (M) deputy leader in the assembly N Nanmaran and others participated.

Main cities including Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Thirunelveli, Erode, Salem also witnessed massive demonstrations.

PUDUCHERRY

IN Puducherry, Left parties held a demonstration near the Head Post Office protesting against the visit of the US president Barack Obama. Leaders of Puducherry unit of CPI, CPI (M), CPI (ML), All India Forward Bloc and RSP addressed the volunteers.

ORISSA

PEOPLE from various walks of life in the state of Orissa joined the protest action against US president Barack Obama’s visit to India. Responding to the call of the four Left parties to register people’s protest in the form of rallies, meetings and demonstrations, protest actions were observed by CPI (M) at various centres in Orissa viz Bhubaneswar, Cuttak, Baleswar, Bhadrak, Baripada, Bhawanipatna, Malkanagiri, Khurdha, Nayagarh, Baripada, Jajpur Road, Brahmagiri and many other centres.

In the capital city of Bhubaneswar, a colorful procession started from state party office to Jayadev Vihar Square Chowk where a protest meeting was organised. Addressing the meeting presided over by Suresh Panigrahi, Janardan Pati, state secretary, criticized the Obama administration for its continuing war policy in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and supporting Israel’s inhuman attack against Palestinians and unjustified occupation of Palestine land. He said USA military aid to Pakistan to the tune of 2.29 billion dollars will increase the competition in the Indian subcontinent to procure more arms which will jeopardise the peace in the area. He demanded the US imperialism to stop pressurising India’s foreign policy, and to open up agriculture, retail sector trade, banking and insurance sector with more FDI, and stop interfering in the fields of education, health and other service sectors. Just opening up of retail sector business for FDI will create threat to the survival of about four crore people who are in retail trade business and their dependents who are about 20 crores. He demanded extradition of former Union Carbide head Anderson to India for trial and also demanded release of five Cuban patriots from US prison.

Other leaders who addressed the meeting included Party secretariat member Dusmanta Das, AIKS state president Abhiram Behera, secretary Yameswar Samantaray, SFI secretary Sarat Das and DYFI secretary Suresh Swain. A good number of tribals and women participated in the meeting.

HARYANA

WORKERS of Left parties staged protest demonstrations at several places all over the state against the one sided agreements being arrived at with United States during the ongoing visit of president Barack Obama. On the nationwide call of Left parties, CPI (M) workers organised demontration at Rohtak with placards demanding extradition of Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson for trial in India in Bhopal Gas tragedy, opposing opening up of Indian markets for US companies in the sectors of retail trade, agriculture, education, services etc.

CPI (M) state secretary Inderjit Singh while addressing the protesters decried the Indo- US strategic alliance for being against the vital national interests of India and demanded the UPA government to desist from it. He stated that no significant change was witnessed in hegemonic policies of the US administration as was expected in US and other countries following the election of Obama as US president. Protests have also been reported from Fatehabad, Hisar, Panipat , Jind, Bhiwani, Panchkula and other places.

DELHI

HUNDREDS of activists from the CPI (M), CPI, RSP and AIFB staged a protest demonstration at the Parliament Street on the occasion of India visit of Barack Obama. They were demanding extradition of Warren Arderson accused in Bhopal gas tragedy, insisting Dow Chemicals to take up responsibility for cleaning chemical waste at the Union Carbide site. They also protested against the pressure tactics of US administration to change the Indian foreign policy and demanded withdrawal of US-NATO forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and for stopping assistance to Israel till it vacates occupied territories of Palestine and other Arab nations. The agitators condemned giving away India’s interests in agriculture, education and retail trade in favour of MNCs. They urged Barack Obama’s administration to lift embargo on Cuba.

The protesters demanded the UPA government not to serve interests of US-industrial complex and other big business as opposed to the interest of Indian peasantry, industry and retail trade. They demanded cancellation of Indo-US strategic agreement. The protestors marched from Jantar Manter to parliament where they were stopped by the police barricades. Those who addressed the demonstration included A B Bardhan, general secretary CPI, Prakash Karat, general secretary CPI (M), Debabrata Biswas, general secretary AIFB and Aboni Roy, secretary RSP.

The speakers were critical of double standards of US-administration and its hegemonistic agenda of making India strategic partner to enhance their own interests of arms sale, threat to other nations and controlling of markets in favour of their multinational corporations. The US administration is trying to play Pakistan card to sell their arms to India and playing China card to access the field of education as market for their education cartels. The agenda is to influence India’s foreign policies and in the name of fighting terrorism it seeks agreement to set up FBI & CIA offices here. How could one trust them, when Headley case is an example that they used him as double agent and never shared vital information about him with our government which could avoid November 26, 2009 terrorist attack on Mumbai.

They urged Indian government to scrap the Indo-US defence framework agreement which seeks to convert India into a military ally of the USA. They demanded of the US administration to stop pressurising India to give up liability claims on US nuclear suppliers.

Prominent among others who were present in the demonstration included Sitaram Yechury, S Ramachandran Pillai, Md Amin, K Varadarajan, Polit Bureau members of CPI (M), Pushpinder Grewal, CPI (M) Delhi state secretary and and Vijender Sharma, state committee member.

Source: www.pd.cpim.org

People’s Democracy

Vol. XXXIV, No. 46, November 14, 2010