Expression of Solidarity With Palestinians at Hyderabad

We Are With You

VARIOUS leaders belonging to different political parties expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle against imperialist occupation. They were addressing a public solidarity meeting, organised by Rehanuma-e-Deccan in Hyderbad on May 19.  Those who spoke included CPI(M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyyar, Lok Janshakti party leader Ram Vilas Paswan and Palestine Ambassador Dr Khalid-El-Sheikh. The meeting was presided over by the Indo-Arab League chairman Vikaruddin.

Sitaram Yechury said that an international conspiracy was on to legitimize the Israeli occupation of land belonging to the Palestinians. He called on the people of the world to fight unitedly to defeat this conspiracy. He described the Israeli occupation of territories as a direct attack on humanity and said that even as the Palestinians are demanding liberation of their motherland from occupation, they are being attacked and killed by the Israeli armed forces. Israel is embarking on such a brinkmanship because of the complete support it is receiving from USA, explained Yechury.

He criticised US efforts to increase its hegemony –post September 11- by openly threatening war on those countries which do not submit to its dictates. He declared that the self-proclaimed super-power status of US is much inferior to the will of the people of the planet. It is unfortunate that the BJP-led Vajpayee government is increasingly becoming servile to of US imperialism, in the process reversing India’s long standing support to the Palestinian cause.

Mani Shankar Aiyyar severely condemned the Vajpayee government’s tactics of converting the Palestinian freedom struggle into a vote-bank politics. If demanding freedom is a crime, India would never have become independent, he pointed out. Aiyyar stressed that vast majority of Hindus have voted against the BJP in the recently held elections and therefore, the BJP should gracefully accept that it does not represent the Hindus.

Ramvilas Paswan described the BJP and its NDA allies as a TV and its different channels. The allies are losing their moral existence as they are unable to demarcate from the BJP's policies. He stated that the people of Palestine are fighting against the biggest terrorist of the world- USA- and therefore it is time that the people of India should in solidarity launch their struggle against the BJP government at the centre for its support to US terrorism.

A B Bardhan questioned as to why the Vajpayee government is not condemning the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people and why the BJP-led government is not using its so-called good relations with the Bush administration to stop the attacks on innocent people. Bardhan pointed out that Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has reduced himself to a follower of Vajpayee.

Palestinian ambassador, Dr Khalid-El-Shaik stated that Israel cannot subdue the quest of the Palestinian people for freedom inspite of its repeated attacks. He expressed confidence that, with the support of the Indian people, the struggle against Israeli-American terrorism will be advanced.