Kolkata: Left parties in Bengal on November 8 hit the streets here to protest against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.Thousands of people walked from Mahajati Sadan to Ramlila Park, demanding an immediate end to the conflict. The rally was attended by senior leaders including the Left Font chairman Biman Basu, the CPI(M) Bengal state secretary Mohammad Selim and the former Bengal state secretary, Surjya Kanta Mishra.The march in Kolkata was a powerful display of solidarity with the people of Palestine and a call for an immediate end to the violence. Protesters demanded that the United States take action to stop the Israeli massacre and ensure a ceasefire. They also called for an end to all aid and support to Israel.In a statement issued jointly by CPI(M), CPI, CPI (ML) Liberation, RSP, AIFB, MFB and the Workers’ Party, the Left parties criticised the Narendra Modi government’s stand on the US-Israeli military operation in Palestine, calling it a ‘de facto approval of the US-Israeli genocide’. In view of the impending visit by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to India, Left supporters will observe a sit-in protest across all the district headquarters of the state on Friday, November 10 from 2 pm to 4 pm. Addressing the crowd before the march, the Left Front chairman Bose said, “The whole world is protesting. Protests are taking place all over the Western world. Kolkata has an anti-imperialist tradition. We are partner in the liberation struggle of Palestine.” CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim said, “India, which was the leader of the non-aligned movement, abstained from voting on the peace proposal in the United Nations. RSS is also dividing religion around war. They are propagating this genocide as a war between Jews and Muslims. Many Jews around the world are against this war.”While several organisations have been holding rallies in the city on the plight of Palestinians, the ruling Trinamool Congress has so far maintained silence over this issue.
