Several Left parties organised a rally in the city on Saturday against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government’s decision to invite U.S. President Barack Obama as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
The rally was attended by Left Front chairperson and Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Biman Basu, Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Surja Kanta Mishra, State secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Manju Kumar Majumdar along with leaders of other Left parties.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Basu criticised the Union government for inviting the US President as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebration. “This makes it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has adopted an extreme right wing policy. They have chosen a path that will compromise our country’s sovereignty.”
He also pointed out that the protests are being organised against the attempt being made to make India an ally of the United States.
Another protest march for the same purpose was also taken out by several civil society organisations in the city.
“Whether it’s the United Progressive Alliance or the National Democratic Alliance government, we think all have become agents of monopolist capitalism,” Prasun Bhowmik, poet and convenor of Saho Nagarik Mancha, a civil society organisation that took part in the rally, told The Hindu .
Syed Sajjad Ali reports from Agartala
The Left parties held noisy demonstrations in Tripura also on Saturday to protest the invitation to US President Barack Obama at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
Rallies and street meetings were organised mainly by principal Left party CPI(M) in Tripura also lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for ‘negotiating sovereignty of India’.
“President of the imperialist United States was never invited since Independence to grace the Republic Day ceremony as chief guest. The move of Narendra Modi government insulted and lowered our age old policy and global standing,” CPI (M) spokesperson Gautam Das stated.
Speakers at protest meetings at Agartala and all subdivisions condemned USA for aggression and waging war against many countries. Protestors held placards with writings against Barack Obama and Narendra Modi.
