Over 30 Million People Protest in India Against the Visit of U.S. President Bush

(Reprinted from People’s Voice, Organ of the Communist Ghadar Party of India)

Even before George Bush arrived in India, several political parties and organizations among the people had raised their voices in protest. Thousands of posters had appeared on the walls of various cities declaring that Bush must not set foot on Indian soil and that he was not welcome in our country.

Starting on March 1, from the minute he arrived until the minute he departed on March 3 more than 3 crore (30 million) people participated in rallies and mass demonstrations all over the country. Neither the police nor anybody else could prevent them from taking to the streets. They loudly expressed their anger against the Bush administration and its crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its dangerous plots against Iran and other countries.

The air was filled with the cries: "Butcher Bush, you are not our guest", and "Butcher Bush – Go Back!" People from all walks of life took part, including workers, peasants, women, youth and students, small business families and shopkeepers, professionals and intellectuals.

The people's actions were in stark contrast to the red carpet welcome that the government of India laid out for this U.S. imperialist chieftain. The Indian rulers even handed over the security function to the American forces, letting in more than 700 U.S. soldiers and American sniffer dogs into the country.

During March 1 and 2, massive protest actions shook Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Calicut, Bangalore, Lucknow, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Srinagar.

Delhi, the capital city, was brought to a standstill on March 1. Mass participation on the streets was to an unprecedented degree, with more than five lakh [500,000] people congregating in Ramlila Maidan. This protest action had been organized jointly by diverse organizations active in the city, including: Jamiat Ulama E Hind, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Jamiat Islami E Hind, and Lok Raj Sangathan. The March 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan was noteworthy not only for the massive numbers it drew, but also for the high level of discipline of its participants, many of whom had come from towns far away.

Lakhs of people participated in a mammoth rally at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on March 2. The entire south Bombay came to a standstill. The rally was organized jointly by the Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, All India Ulema Council, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, National Railway Workers' Union, Mumbai Aman Committee and others.

A second protest march was organized in Delhi from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament on March 2, by the Committee Against the Bush Visit. Organizations that collaborated in this committee included CPI, CPI (M), CPIML, CGPI, AIFB, RSP, SP, JD(S), IJP, Lok Raj Sangathan, AITUC, CITU, AICCTU, TUCC, UTUC, AIBEA, BEFI, NZIEA, GIEAIA, DUCKU, Democratic Karamchari Front, Janvadi Shikshak Manch, Democratic Teachers Front, JANAM, IPTA, PWA, Janwadi Lekhak Sangh, NFIW, JMS, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, AIPSU, AIYF, DYFI, RYF, AIYL, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Yuva Janata Dal (S), Lord Buddha Club, AISF, SFI, AISB, JNUSU, JMISU, AMS, FDI, Jan Sanskriti, SAHMAT, DSF, SKS, AIKS, AKS, BKMU, JSM, AIALA, COC, Navdanya, RFSTE, IDPD, CNDP, INSAF, PEACE, SC/ST All India Organization.

Pune witnessed a powerful joint protest action on March 2. The action was organized by the LNP(Leninist), Lok Raj Sangathan, CPM, Rashtra Seva Dal, NCAS, Dalit mahila Sangathan, and several other organizations. Reports are still pouring in of protest actions from the smaller towns and rural areas of our vast country, including moffusil market towns like Jind and Sirsa in Haryana, Nohar in Rajasthan, and pilgrimage centers like Varanasi and Hardwar.

Srinagar witnessed powerful demonstrations every day for a whole week preceding and during the visit of Bush. During fierce clashes with the armed forces, many people suffered grievous injuries.

On March 3, Bush flew from Delhi to Hyderabad, to find the entire city shaken by a total bandh (general strike). Almost the entire people of Hyderabad were either out on the streets shouting angrily against Bush or confined to their homes. The only exception was the handful of political leaders and state officials who were shaking hands with, and towing behind the unpopular 'guest'. The police organized lathi [long sticks] charge and bursting of tear gas, leading to severe injuries among the protestors. In Lucknow, several persons died as a result of a state-organized provocation to divert and split the unity of the mass demonstration.

Spokespersons of many political parties and people’s organizations denounced the Manmohan Singh government for welcoming Bush to India. Matthew of Lok Raj Sangathan condemned Bush as a mass murderer and the biggest terrorist of all. Arundati Roy and numerous well known personalities participated in protest actions and spoke out against the crimes of the Bush administration.

Comrade Prakash Rao, spokesperson of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, emphasized that the nuclear deal was not really the central purpose of the Bush visit to India, as is being portrayed in the bourgeois media. "Bush wants to fool the Indian people that the U.S. government is our friend and natural ally. This is in order to strengthen the U.S. war preparations. What he wants is for Indian soldiers to become cannon fodder in aggressive wars against Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and other countries and peoples. This was the real purpose of the visit. But the massive demonstrations show that the Indian people are not fooled", he said.

Members of the Communist Ghadar Party of India participated actively in the mass demonstrations and rallies. They spoke to the people on the streets, pointing out that we must not ever support an Indo-U.S. ‘strategic alliance’, because it is an imperialist alliance aimed against the sovereign rights of the peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The working class and people of India must be vigilant about the deal being struck by the Indian ruling class with U.S. imperialism. The Bush visit has shown that in pursuing a strategic alliance with the U.S., the Indian bourgeoisie is acting in its narrow interest, completely disregarding the wishes and demands of the vast majority of the people. It is ready to compromise on national sovereignty and barter away the dignity of our people, to achieve its own imperialist aims.

The people of India cannot be secure from destructive imperialist wars as long as the bourgeoisie is ruling the country. We must prepare conditions for establishing the rule of workers and peasants, so as to make a break with the imperialist system, get rid of capitalism and usher in socialism and communism. This is the path to prevent war and secure our future in our hands.

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