Massive Anti-War Procession And Rally In Kolkata

B Prasant

SEVERAL lakhs of people marched along the streets of Kolkata on September 1 as part of the anti-war procession that the Bengal Left Front along with other Left and democratic parties organised.  For Kolkata, an anti-war procession is part of the long anti-imperialist tradition that that the metropolis enjoys.  Harking back to the second half of the last century, one can discern a continuous strengthening of the anti-war and anti-imperialism frame of mind of the democratically conscious people of this city of teeming millions.

The Bengal Left Front and other parties had made a joint call for the organisation of the march (called a mahamichhil or a procession of massive proportions) some weeks back and since then, wide ranging preparations had been going on for the occasion.  Tableaux were set up, banners and buntings fashioned, and posters and placards were prepared, with anti-war and anti-imperialism slogans adorning them all.  The procession was participated in mostly by people of some south Bengal districts other than those of Kolkata.

The slogans that roared out from the procession were:

•  Down with the worldwide hegemony of US imperialism!

• Away with Anglo-American imperialists from Iraq!

• Away with the occupying troops of Anglo-American imperialism and their lackeys in Iraq!

• Withdraw all occupying forces of Anglo-American imperialism and their lackeys from Afghanistan!  

• Withdraw all US-backed troops of Israel from Palestine!

• The government of India must embark on an independent foreign policy!

• The Indian government must withdraw the policy of military cooperation with the US!

• The government of India must initiate a policy of non-alignment!

• The Indian government must quit appeasing the US!

• US imperialism – Hands off Asia-Africa-Latin America!

• The US imperialism must desist from hatching fresh conspiracies against Cuba!

 The procession was flagged off early in the afternoon by the Bengal Left Front chairman, Biman Basu in the presence of the Left and democratic political parties leadership.  A barrage of red balloons floated up with anti-imperialist buntings to a roar of approval from the rallyists who had assembled near the Aakashvani Bhavan in central Kolkata.  Biman Basu, CPI(M) state secretary Anil Biswas, Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and the leaders of the Left Front led the procession.

From students to agricultural labourers, from TU activists to teachers, the procession saw the presence of the widest possible spectrum of the classes and professions including ministers, MP’s, sports persons, actors, stage personalities, theatre activists, singers, poets, writers, film personalities and a large number of mass front workers.  Also present in overwhelming numbers were the workers and leaders of 17 Left and democratic political parties who had sponsored and organised the anti-war procession.

The procession moved along the Dharamtolla area and went down the AJC Bose to reassemble at Deshbandhu Park up in the northern area of the metropolis.  Such was the massive proportion of the procession that the very short stretch of a kilometre or so from the Aakashvani Bhavan to the Dharamtolla area took nearly half-an-hour for the marchers to traverse.  Expectedly, the front of the procession had arrived at the Deshbandhu Park, while good deal of the end of the procession was yet to take off from the starting point.

The procession was greeted all along the way by people who waved banners condemning war and imperialism, and showered flower petals on the marchers.  The Street Hawkers’ Union workers stayed put near the Dharamtolla crossing and unfailingly and untiringly greeted the marchers with flowers.  The fire service workers came in their khaki uniform, the lawyers marched in the black-and-white ensemble, the porters and head load carriers from the Howrah stationed walked in their dark blue uniforms, presenting a fascinating sight.  More than 50 tableaux added to the attraction of the march. 

Singers like Kabir Suman presented snatches of popular anti-war ballads at the start of the march.  Songs also burst out regularly from the marchers themselves as they traversed the streets of Kolkata.  The activists of the IPTA and the Democratic Writers’ and Artists’ Association sang throughout the way sitting in or standing on the different tableaux. “We shall overcome!” proved once again a popular choice.

Watering stations provided welcome relief to the processionists along the way.  Neither the occasional shower nor the damp heat nor thirst could deter the resolute ongoing march of the anti-war rallyists.  Despite the huge hue-and-cry made in the corporate media about the march blocking the roadways and denying the people the right of access, the massive procession went unfailingly along one side of the road, allowing vehicles to bypass them without a fuss.  Ambulances were given right of way as a priority measure.  A large number of people while crossing the roads thanked the rallyists for the manner in which the march was organised.

There was a rally organised at Deshbandhu Park as the procession drew to its close.  Biman Basu declared that the 17 political parties that had sponsored and organised the procession would decide upon their next programmes later on.  The strident demand of the rally was: Away with Anglo-American imperialist intervention in Iraq!  Biman Basu said that those who protest against processions should realise that such programmes were going on against US imperialism all across the globe for the menace was global in nature.  Basu also said that in India, the demand would be that the union government must forge an independent, non-aligned foreign policy and be strident in its criticism of the US moves across the world.  Surya Kanta Mishra (CPI-M), Debabrata Bandyopadhyay (RSP), Manju Kumar Majumdar (CPI), Jayanta Roy (Forward Bloc), Soumen Basu (SUCI), Kartik Pal (CPI-ML), Mihir Byne (RCPI), Ratan Majumdar (DSP), Amit Sengupta (SP), Moloy Chakraborti (Marxist Forward Bloc), Samar Bardhan (Bolshevik Party), Asim Chatterjee (CRLI), Brinda Rai (RJD), and Santosh Rana.