People's Democracy

Statewide Anti-War Programmes In Bengal 

“Break Off Diplomatic Ties With Israel”

Biman Bose, Md Salim and others leading the protest against Israeli aggression on Lebanon

B Prasant

BENGAL witnessed anti-war marches and conventions, rallies and jathas being held across the state during the first two weeks of August. The cataclysmic events that followed the dropping of atomic bombs by the US imperialists on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were remembered and wars of aggression widely condemned in these programmes. 

The anti-war programmes were held under the aegis of the Bengal CPI(M), the Bengal Left Front, and the Left mass organisations. The inclement weather notwithstanding there was wide popular participation everywhere.

The Left mass organisations of workers, women youth, and students organised a lengthy march on the streets of Kolkata on August 6. The marchers recalled through slogans and songs the horrific events that took place 61 years ago in 1945 when the US militarists dropped an atomic bomb on the city and citizenry of Hiroshima in Japan. That day is marked the world over as an instance of the most heinous crime on humanity.

Wet in the steady drizzle that fell steadily from an overcast afternoon sky, thousands of people congregated around the esplanade area and soon a long procession was formed. Shouting slogans the marchers, waving Red flags, and banners and festoons with anti-war slogans inscribed on them went in a steady and disciplined manner right upto the US information centre on the Chowringhee.

In the rally that was held there, general secretary of the Bengal unit of the CITU, Kali Ghosh said that armed with the tenets of neo-liberalisation and imperialist globalisation, the US was quite bent on determinedly clamping down its hegemonic control over the freedom-loving people of the world. 

Kali Ghosh pointed out that the UPA government appeared strangely or perhaps not so strangely, loath to denounce either the US hegemonic drive or the dastardly killings being carried on in the middle east by the US acolyte, Israel. The stance taken by the UPA government would do nothing but harm the sovereign status of India in the comity of nations, said the veteran TU leader.

Chief government whip and CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb pointed out that US imperialism was deeply guilty of carrying out mass murders and genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan. They were also active in propping up Israel’s efforts at organising large-scale killing in Palestine and Lebanon.

A view of the anti-war rally in Kolkata on August 6

Other speakers at the rally, which put up a large motorised tableau showing the Israeli killing spree on the people of Palestine and Lebanon, included Mihir Bandyopadhyay (UTUC), Paltu Dasgupta (AITUC), S N Tiwari (TUCC), and others. The anti-war resolution was placed by CITU leader Asim Banerjee. CITU leader Rajdeo Goala presided.

More than a thousand children demonstrated under the aegis of the state pioneers, in the metropolis on August 2 against the barbaric Israeli killing spree in the middle east. They were particularly angry at the way Israeli bombing brought about a massacre of children in the Kana village, Lebanon. All 1300 branches of the pioneers held such anti-war programmes all over Bengal. The pioneer rally held at Dharamtolla saw anti-war poems recited, anti-war songs sung, and anti-war posters held aloft. One of the posters aimed at the Israelis said poignantly: ‘Children deserve books, not bullets and bombs!’

At a rally held in Kolkata on August 9 at the call of the 12th July Committee of workers, teachers, and employees, mercantile federation and the bank employees’ federation, the cry went up in favour of India coming out with a decisive statement condemning Israel’s dastardly actions in the middle east. The rally also called upon the UPA government to cut off diplomatic relations with Israel.

The rally was held at the end of a large procession that was taken out from the broad sidewalk in front of the Metro cinema house and the march ended on the Chowringhee Road. Raising the anti-war resolution condemning US and its protégé, Israel, Chunilal Dasgupta, a veteran leader of the 12th July Committee said that the US was keen for some time to change the power equation of the political structure of the middle east and that it was using Israel as its agent there. The war on Lebanon and on the Palestinian people must end now, demanded the resolution. Pradip Biswas of the bank employees’ federation was the other speaker at the rally. Smarajit Roychaudhury presided.

More than five thousand scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers as well as women, students, and youth took part in another anti-war rally held on August 9. The organiser was the platform against nuclear warfare. On this day 61 years back, the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. A feature of the rally was the participation in school uniform of thousands of students, boys and girls. A large anti-war convention was held under the aegis of the Association of Health Service Doctors at the Moulali Yuva Kendra on the same day.