PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

ANTI-BUSH SLOGANS: Expressing their solidarity with Iraqis and protesting against the bombing of their shrine in Samarra, Iraq, Shias take to the streets in Srinagar on Monday. They also raised slogans against U.S. President George Bush.

NEW DELHI: The Committee against the visit of U.S. President George Bush on Monday declared that he "was certainly not welcome in India."

"We emphatically oppose the forthcoming visit... President Bush is the topmost official of U.S. imperialism, leading enemy of the sovereignty of nations and the peoples of the world today. He is the leader of the imperialist quest at neo-colonial world domination. He is certainly not welcome in India... " the Committee consisting of the Left, the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Indian Justice Party said in a joint statement.

The campaign also gained ground with five other organisations, including the SUCI and the CPI (ML) and the CPI (ML-New Proletarian), announcing a separate protest rally to coincide with the visit.

The Committee decided to organise a massive people's march and a rally to protest Mr. Bush's visit on March 2 from Ramlila Maidan, the leaders announced at a press conference here.

— Photo: PTI

Activists of the Students Federation of India demonstrating against the visit of U.S. President George Bush, at Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla on Monday.

They said that under President Bush the United States continued to occupy Iraq and oppress its people. It threatened Syria and targeted Iran on the issue of its nuclear programme. It backed the "naked oppression" of the Palestinian people by Israel and "ceaselessly indulges in a covert war" against Cuba and Venezuela, besides `threatening' North Korea.

The leaders said U.S. imperialism used the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation to open the economies of the Third World countries for "rapacious exploitation" of multinationals.

"The Indian Government is shamefully succumbing to U.S. imperialist pressures. India's independent foreign policy is seriously threatened as can be seen in the lining up of India behind the U.S.-inspired vote against Iran. Threats held out by the U.S. Ambassador on the Iran vote issue, U.S. opposition to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline or the joint India-China venture in Syrian oilfields and the craven response of the Indian Government further highlight this threat," the statement said.

The leaders who addressed the press included CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan and his colleague D. Raja, RSP member Abani Roy, AIFB general secretary Debabrata Biswas, Kumudini Pati of the CPI (ML-Liberation), Danish Ali (JD-S), Ram Goal Yadav and Amar Singh (SP) and a representative of the IJP.

At a separate press conference, Krishna Chakravarti (Socialist Unity Centre of India, K.N. Ramachandran (CPI-ML), Shiv Manal Sidhantkar (CPI-ML-New Proletarian), Vijayendra (Yuva Bharat) and Deepak Pandey (All India Nepali Leftist Youth Front) said they were holding another rally on March 2 between Mandi House and Parliament Street. This would be followed by another mass rally at Hyderabad the following day when Mr. Bush visits the city.

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