Protests against Bush visit
CPI(ML) ORGANISED nationwide protests on March 2 against the visit of George Bush, the chief of the American war machine and imperialist pirate brigade. Various programmes were held at different centres in the country with the slogan 'Killer Bush, Go Back'. Through these protests the Party condemned the UPA Govt.'s spineless surrender before the US imperialism endangering country's sovereignty.
In New Delhi , various left and democratic parties and organisations held a massive protest march and rally from Ramlila Maidan to Jantar Mantar. Addressing the mammoth Anti-Bush rally in Parliament Street, the CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya called upon the patriotic people of India to rise with the spirit of progressive nationalism of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh against the so-called 'enlightened nationalism' of Manmohan Singh, which is nothing but an euphemism for naked surrender to the US imperialism. He said that recent statements of US ambassadors in India as well as Nepal were statements of 'Viceroys' rather than ambassadors. He made a fervent appeal to strongly combat the capitulationist policies of the UPA Government. Taking strong exception to Manmohan Singh`s statement that people criticising India`s vote with the US in IAEA against Iran were indulging in minority appeasement, Com. Dipankar remarked that Manmohan Singh was speaking in Advani`s language. He strongly condemned the US support to the autocratic monarchy of Nepal . He said that Kashmir issue should be resolved by India , Pakistan and the people of Kashmir rather than by the US dictating terms to the two governments.
Comrade Dipankar said that the Bush visit also marks an intensification of US intervention in India and South Asia . India 's nuclear programmes and the entire energy economy is being mortgaged to the US while US interference in Nepal , Kashmir and various other aspects of Indo-Pak relations is also on the increase. He called upon the people to foil this ugly American design and categorically reject the growing pro-US tilt in the UPA government's policies.
Militant protests were also held in almost all the state capitals and important centres in the country including Patna , Ranchi , Lucknow , Dehradoon, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Kakinada , Hyderabad , Kolkata, Guwahati and Pondicherry etc. While the protests were organised in Bihar in all the district headquarters, a massive protest was held in Ranchi and other centres, including Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Daltonganj, Latehar, Garhwa, Panki, Giridih, Bagodar, Rajdhanwar, Saria, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Koderma, Gumla, Lohardagga, Debghar, Dumka, etc., of Jharkhand where effigies of George Bush were burnt in a large number. In Lucknow , an effigy of Bush was burnt in front of UP Assembly. In Uttaranchal, protests were also held in Haldwani, Rudrapur, Shrinagar and Gauchar towns.
In Chennai, a joint rally was held by the left parties and it was addresses by Comrade AS Kumar and a convention was organised in Tiruvottiyur. Protest demonstrations were also held in Tirunelveli, Namakkal, Karur, Tuticorin, Virudunagar, Madurai , Cuddalore, Sirkazhi districts. Police arrested CPI(ML) activists in Tirunelveli. In Assam , protest programmes were held in different places on 2 March. In Guwahati a protest march was held at main area of Panbazar. A joint programme with other left and democratic parties was also held at Guwahati which was addressed by Comrade Rubul Sarma. Similar programmes were also held at Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Biswanath Chariali. Rajasthan witnessed protests in Jhunjhunu and Udaipur and also a joint protest at Banswara. A demonstration was also held in Mansa of Punjab. Massive protests were held in Kolkata on the eve of Bush arrival on 1 March.
Hyderabad , where Bush spent his second day in India , saw a big protest rally by all left and democratic parties and Comrade N Murthy addressed it. Comrades Bugata Bangar Rao addressed the joint left rally in Kakinada and Comrade Nagmani addressed the joint rally in Vijayawada . Earlier the left parties organised a joint convention in Hyderabad to prepare for protests during the Bush visit and Comrade Murthy spoke in that convention. The left parties organised a popular campaign from February 27 onwards in which several democratic personalities participated.
"Killer Bush Go Back" demonstration was held on March 2, 2006 at Pondicherry near Rajiv Gandhi Square where a picture of imperialist Bush was burnt for which the participants were arrested by Dhanvandri Nagar Police. Under the leadership CPI-ML State Committee Member Com.G.Jaganadhan hundreds of members of CPIML, AICCTU, AIPWA, AISA, RYA and AIALA participated.