Mangalore: India Fighting Second Freedom Struggle—Varadarajan
Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (TU/CN)
Mangalore, Oct 25: CPI (M) politburo member K Varadarajan said here on Friday October 24, that India is involved in a second freedom struggle; this time against American imperialism. It is the duty of every citizen of this country to join hands with the party in this effort, he added.
He was addressing activists at a protest against the Indo-US joint naval exercise, on the beach near Rani Abbakka Circle, at Ullal. Varadarajan said that the UPA government is acting in the interests of America and not the welfare of the people of this country. ‘This protest is not a struggle between the Congress and the CPI (M). It is to save this country from the clutches of so-called capitalist countries. We know that we are not going to win this struggle alone. Therefore, the party appeals to patriots to join the struggle,’ he added.
Expressing concern over the Free Trade Agreement, Varadarajan said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already agreed to the 17 conditions of the agreement without considering the opinion of other parties. It has not been discussed in Parliament. GATT, WTO, FTA, and other such agreements with capitalist countries could prove a catastrophic to the working class in this nation, he cautioned.
‘The CPI (M) supported the non-aligned movement (NAM) under Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. We were not with socialist Soviet Union when they were at war with capitalist America. We are the preachers of peace. Therefore, communists of this country supported NAM. It clearly indicates that this struggle is not individual-centric,’ he added.
Former MLA Sri Ram Reddy said that the ‘Malabar Exercise’ has questioned the very existence of India. The government has no control over the defence system, economic system, agriculture sector, or other sectors in the nation, he said.
According to article 104 of America’s Hyde Act, they can establish its vessels anywhere in the world. ‘Rani Abbakka has struggled against the Portuguese at this place. Today, we have protested at the right place against capitalism,’ said Reddy. CPI(M) leaders VJK Nair, K Nila, G N Nagaraj, and others also spoke.