The Hindu : Left party activists protest, court arrest

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 10, 2003

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Left party activists protest, court arrest

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI SEPT. 9 . The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, was meeting the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, when hundreds of Left party activists courted arrest against his visit a short distance away from the Taj Mansingh hotel where Mr. Sharon is staying.

Closer to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, but still far away for the protests to be heard, another demonstration organised by the All-India Shia Sunni Front took place at the Jantar Mantar.

In the Walled City, the Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, led protesters against Mr. Sharon's visit, who was indicted by an Israeli commission of inquiry for his role in the 1982 Beirut killings.

At Shahjahan Road, the CPI, the CPI (M) and the CPI (ML) Liberation had put up a united show. "Say no to terror, say no to Sharon", "Arrest Butcher Sharon", "Vajpayee stop appeasing killer Sharon", "He (Sharon) is a killer, he is an enemy of the peace process" were some of the posters and banners held aloft by the noisy group of protesters near the Taj hotel.

"Katil Sharon se yaari, sharam karo Atal Bihari" (shame on you Atal Bihari for being a friend of killer Sharon) was another slogan popular with the protesters.

Speaking on the occasion, the CPI general secretary, A.B. Bardhan, said India should unequivocally reiterate that its support for the Palestinian cause was solid.

The CPI (M) leader, Sitaram Yechury, alleged that the biggest source of terrorism in the world was Mr. Sharon and the BJP was using the excuse of Islamist fundamentalism to consolidate the Hindu "vote bank". The acid test for the Government was whether or not India would publicly ask for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the occupied territories.

Swapan Mukherjee, CPI (ML) Liberation leader, said the whole of Delhi had been brought to a standstill on account of the Sharon visit. But when students or workers wanted to protest, they were told that protests would cause traffic jams.

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