Hyderabad: The Telangana government’s move to rename the road adjoining the US Consulate in Hyderabad ‘Donald Trump Avenue’ has garnered significant outrage from Left parties.The road was earlier called US Consulate Road.On June 23, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka participated in a reception at the consulate where a ceremonial plaque, commemorating the renaming of the road, was unveiled. It took place as part of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of US independence.Left parties have held rallies against the move which takes place as the US-Israel war in West Asia wreaks havoc around the world. Seven parties – CPI, CPI (M), CPI-ML (New Democracy) and CPI-ML (Massline), Marxist Communist Party of India, Socialist Unity Centre of India and CPI-ML (Janashakti) organised a procession from Babu Jagjivan Ram statue to Ambedkar statue on June 23.On June 22, the Centre for India Trade Unions (CITU) organised another procession from the Golconda crossroad to the RTC crossroads.Addressing the participants at Ambedkar statue, CPI(M) state secretary John Wesley demanded immediate withdrawal of the name, saying the Left parties would intensity their struggle otherwise. Demanding an explanation from the state government for glorifying a “global war monger,” Wesley asked if the move was meant to promote war or the imposition of tariffs against India.“Modi gave undue respect to Trump but the Congress government in the state has surprisingly toed the same line,” he said, calling the issue a matter of public concern.Wesley also said Modi has gone against India’s non-aligned policy. “The Congress has hurt the sentiments of the people by following the pro-fascist BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,” he said.CPI state secretariat member V.S. Bose said the Trump administration’s tariffs have drilled holes into the pockets of Indians. “The Telangana government has showed its loyalty to Trump,” he said.‘Generous tribute’At the consulate function, US Ambassador Gor praised the move as an acknowledgement of Hyderabad’s increasing importance in US-India relations.Gor said, “Nowhere is the high-speed trajectory of our partnership more evident than in Hyderabad. From Hi-Tech City to aerospace and defence, this region represents progress that is defining our bilateral momentum.”He expressed gratefulness as well.“With our interim trade agreement and Mission India on track to bring over $ 20 billion of new investment to the United States, we are proving that America First does not mean America alone. We are deeply grateful to the government of Telangana for the generous tribute of naming Donald Trump Avenue, a gesture that reflects the kind of strong, respectful partnership President Trump has championed for America,” he added.Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka highlighted Telangana’s role in fostering close ties with the US. The US Consul-General Laura Williams hailed the region’s pivotal role driving US-India technology cooperation.‘An insult to India’The Left parties were not impressed. Speaking to The Wire, a member of the central committee member of CPI(M), S. Veeraiah, said, “Names of great people or those who were a source of inspiration were generally given to roads. How does Trump fit into the category, especially after creating mass destruction in Iran?” he asked.He cited the US kidnapping of the former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and its move to hold them in solitude in the US as Trump’s draconian measures. “Trump has also threatened to capture Cuba and has cast a hawkish eye on Greenland. This has eroded the independence and sovereignty of these countries. He went against the international principles that exist to honour the independence and sovereignty of countries that evolved after World War II. These norms were accepted by the United Nations,” he said.Veeraiah also said that Trump has destroyed the norms of the world and behaved in accordance with his will. In the context of India, he added, “Trump patted himself on the back more than 70 times, claiming it was he who ensured ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack. Though it was the military heads of both countries who agreed to ceasefire, Trump claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yielded to his threats and ended the conflict.”Veeraiah said that this “and the tariff war declared by Trump on Indian goods were an insult to India.”“By blackmailing India into not buying oil and gas from Russia and Iran, Trump triggered an economic crisis in the country. The US president broke the back of Indian farmers by flooding American agricultural products at zero tax. Indian produce was affected because American goods were cheaper as they enjoyed 60% subsidy by the US government. On the other hand, the agricultural subsidies were not more than 6% of production cost in India. In these circumstances, how is Trump a model of inspiration?” he asked.The CPI(M) state secretary John Wesley asked why the name of “anti-colonial revolutionary Bhagat Singh was not considered for the road instead of Trump.”“Honouring a person who has the least respect for human lives is most uncalled for,” he added.The chairman of the Central Control Commission of CPI, K. Narayana, said Trump has silenced Modi. “He has done so after creating an economic crisis in India and rest of the world with the war on Iran,” he added.The party’s assistant secretary of Telangana E.T. Narasimha said Trump was in no way a role model who warranted the naming of a road after him. “He was the enemy of India,” Narasimha said.