Feature
Countrywide Protests Against Obama Visit

The All India Left Coordination (AILC) had called for countrywide protests with the slogan "US Imperialism Keep off from India, Keep Off from Asia!, Asia is not for US Meddling and Occupation! "Stop Outsourcing War, Terror, and Economic Crisis!" Constituents of AILC held vigorous protests all over the country.

CPI(ML) held a dharna at Parliament Street on 8 November, led and addressed by CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Delhi State Secretary Sanjay Sharma, CPI(ML) Central Committee members Prabhat Kumar, Rajendra Pratholi, and many others. 1300 activists of CPI(ML) and CPM Punjab under the banner of All India Left Coordination (AILC) staged an impressive convention and demonstration in Jalandhar on 7 July against the growing interference of American Imperialism in the affairs of our country. The convention was held in the overflowing hall of Desh Bhagat Yadgar. A presidium comprising of Comrade Trilochan Singh Rana, Dr. Satnam Singh Ajnala, Com. Ruldu Singh and Com. Bhagwant Singh Samao conducted the Convention. Various leaders of the organising parties including Com. Mangat Ram Pasla, Secretary CPM Punjab, Com. Dipankar Bhatacharya, General Secretary of CPI (ML) Liberation, Com. Swapan Mukherjee, AICCTU Gen.Sec., Com. Rajvinder Singh Rana, Com. Rattan Singh Randhawa and Com. Harkanwal Singh addressed the convention. After the convention a well decorated and organised “Obama Go Back” march led by leaders of the All India Left Co-ordination marched through the main areas of the city. Participants, including women, agricultural labourers, students and workers came from all the districts of Punjab.

In Kolkata, a well-decorated protest rally started off from College Square for Dharmatala. Later there was a road blockade for 30 minutes and the effigy of Obama and Manmohan Singh were burnt. The rally was led by CPI(ML)’s PBM Com. Kartick Pal. State Committee member Basudev Bose, CCM Com. Kalyan Goswami and State Secretary Com. Partha Ghosh. Comrades from North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly joined the rally in great number. AISA members also participated in the rally. A protest rally and effigy burning was held at Siliguri led by CCM Com. Abhiijit Mazumder. At Krishnanagar (Nadia), as well as six places in Malda, anti-imperialist mass meetings were held. At Kaliagunge in N. Dinajpur, roads were blockaded for 30 minutes and a mass meeting held. Protest campaigns were held in several other parts of West Bengal as well.

In Andhra Pradesh, 200 people marched in Kakinada town, headquarters of East Godavari district and burnt the American President’s effigy in front of the Collectorate. CPI(ML) State Secretary and Polit Bureau member Comrade N Murthy, AIALA State Secretary Comrade Bugata Bangaru Rao addressed the demonstrators. At Vissanapet, HQ of Krishna district, a road blockade was held, while protest marches were held at Visakhapatnam and Ananthapur.

A protest demonstration was held in front of the Orissa State Assembly, culminating in a public meeting. Protest rallies were also held in Rayagada, Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts.

In UP, State-wide demonstrations and marches coupled with effigy burning were held, including at the state capital Lucknow, as well as at Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghazipur, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Mau, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Khiri, Sitapur and Jalaun.

The demonstration at Chennai was led by CPI(ML) PBM Comrade Kumaraswami. Demonstrations were also held in Pudukottai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. “Go Back Obama” posters were released and put up all over the State.

A rally was held at Gangavathi town in opal, Karnataka where Obama’s effigy was burned. A demonstration and dharna was held at the taluk office of HD Kote town in Mysore district. In Uttarakhand, protest marches, dharnas and meetings were organised by CPI(ML) State Unit and AISA at several places in the State including Lalkuan in Nainital district, Pithoragarh, Syalde in Almora district, Rudrapur in Udhamsingh Nagar and Srinagar in Pauri Garhwal.

In Jharkhand, demonstrations were held at Ranchi and Bagodar. At Puducherry, CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M), AIFB, and RSP organised a massive joint state level protest demonstration on 8th November 2010 in front of the head post office at Puducherry. S. Balasubramanian State Secretary CPI (ML), Kalainathan State Secretary CPI, Perumal State Secretary CPI (M), Muthu State Secretary AIFB, Lenin State Secretary RSP addressed the protest gathering. Protest posters were pasted throughout the town and thousand of leaflets were distributed.

A protest demonstration and dharna was held at the ‘Mini-Secretariat’ in Karnal, Haryana. The CPI(ML) and Lal Nishan Party Leninist jointly organised a protest demonstration at Mumbai.

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