KOSOVO Indian Reactions Workers Protest NATO Bombings

Addressing a rally organized against the NATO bombing of Yuguslavia in front of the USIS here on 20 May, the General Secretary of the West Bengal Committee of the CITU, Chittabrata Majumdar said that the caretaker government of the BJP at the Centre was aiding the US conspiracy for disintergration of India in the name of caste, creed and religion. People would have to be united against these machinations making them alert against it beforehand.

The rally was organized jointly by the CITU, 12 July Committee and other central government trade unions. Before the rally a procession in which about 10,000 people participated, came to the USIS from the Sahid Minar Maidan. Raghunath Kushari, CITU Calcutta District Committee Secretary presided over the meeting.

Majumdar further said the US imperialists were raiding different countries taking the plea that they were protecting human rights. They were dropping bombs on schools, colleges, hospitals, refugee camps. How were these Americans protecting human rights by killing children even, Majumdar asked.

He said that the Americans were using human rights as an excuse. The real issue, Majumdar said, was which country would control the huge oil reserve in areas surrounding the Black Sea. The US imperialists joining hands with the Germans had commissioned the NATO bombers to indiscriminately bomb Yugoslavia, he said. Majumdar said that after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the USA was intending to make itself the leader of the World, subjugating all other nations. But this could not be allowed to happen by the people of the democratic world movements would have to be launched in each country against the heinous design, according to Majumdar.

Majumdar said that the US character was known to the people living in third world countries. When they attack innocent people, bomb their countries, they do not think that they have violated human rights. When they detonate an atom bomb they are not held responsible for polluting environment. Any country other than the nuclear powers whenever explodes a nuclear device hue and cries are raised against the concerned country.

He said that the USA had imposed sanctions on India for blasting a nuclear bomb. They were putting pressure on India to sign the CTBT. Instead of opposing the US move the BJP government was submitting to the US government, Majumdar said.

He said India would have to take lesson from the way China reacted to the bombing of its embassy in Yugoslavia. China did not retaliate by dropping bombs on the US embassy. The Chinese government had said that it would have to review its trade and commerce relations with the USA. This was enough for the US to change its posture. The US President Mr Bill Clinton even went to the extent of offering apologies to China for the NATO dropping bombs on the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. This incident proved military prowess was not everything. The economic base of a country and the people's support behind a government were the real strength of a country, Majumdar said. China commanded this strength.

He said that the imperialist conspiracies were making headway in India because of the role being played by the BJP government. The BJP was simply bowing to the USA, he said. Majumdar added that the people of the country would have to unite against the role being played by the BJP.