Jathas To Protest Joint Naval Exercises

Countrywide Rallies & Demos On Sept 4 By The Left

PREPARATIONS are on by the Left parties to express their strong opposition to the joint naval exercises between India, United States, Australia, Japan and Singapore to be held in the Bay of Bengal from September 4 to 9, 2007.

In order to mobilise the people and develop a national protest movement against the naval exercises and the military collaboration with the United States, two jathas – one from Kolkata led by CPI general secretary A B Bardhan and another from Chennai led by CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat – will be flagged off on September 4.

Biman Basu, Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) will be in the Kolkata jatha, which will be flagged off by veteran CPI(M) leader and former chief minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu.

On September 4, rallies and demonstrations would be held all over the country to protest the naval exercises and to oppose the Indo-US nuclear agreement.

Since the naval exercises are being held in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Visakhapatnam, both these jathas will traverse the coastal areas and reach Visakhapatnam for a massive rally to be held in the afternoon on September 8. The state units of the Left parties of the four states of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu are immersed in chalking out the jatha programme, including the centres in which public meetings would be held and the centres where receptions would be given. Various mass organisations, cultural groups and prominent personalities are also being mobilised for this programme. Sufficient propaganda material in various languages has been prepared.

The Kolkata jatha will go through parts of West Bengal and Orissa coastline and enter Andhra Pradesh to reach Visakhapatnam by 8th morning. Similarly, the jatha from Chennai will enter Andhra Pradesh and cover the entire coastal belt and reach Visakhapatnam on the 8th morning.

All through the two jatha routes, public meetings and receptions would be organised for the jathas. The slogans against the naval exercises and military collaboration with US imperialism will be taken to the people through an intensive campaign in the areas around which the jathas are going.

The Left parties are opposed to the growing military collaboration with the United States as it compromises nation’s sovereignty and independent foreign policy. They have made it clear that the UPA government cannot be allowed to ally with US imperialism and serve its goals in the military sphere.

Jatha Routes

1.     Chennai to Visakhapatnam

2. Kolkata to Visakhapatnam