The Hindu : National : Left plans protest against joint air exercises

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Thursday, Nov 03, 2005

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National

Left plans protest against joint air exercises

Special Correspondent

The Indo-U.S. exercise at Kalaikunda is scheduled to continue into the third week of November

KOLKATA : The Left Front in West Bengal has announced a series of demonstrations across the State including one around the Indian Air Force base in Kaliakunda in West Midnapore District in protest against the proposed India - United States joint military air exercises from November 7.

The State secretary and member of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Anil Biswas, said on Tuesday that the support being extended by the Left parties to the UPA Government did not mean "that we [the Left parties] will accept such military air exercises."

The joint exercise at Kalaikunda is scheduled to continue into the third week of November. Wherever the USA has had such exercises it has set up military bases. "It has set up such bases in 120 countries of the world including some in South Asia... We cannot allow this to happen in India," he said.

"Previously we had objected to the Centre [on the issue of succumbing to U.S. pressure on foreign policy and military-related matters]. Now we will protest and if that does not yield any result we will have to decide on a future course of action," Mr. Biswas added.

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