NEW DELHI: Left parties on Tuesday held a protest at Jantar Mantar against the US-Israel attack on Iran and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, accusing the Union government of maintaining silence on the issue.
The protesters urged people to “stand against the attack” and express solidarity with the Iranian people.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said that through the protest they were raising their voice against United States President Donald Trump’s “imperialist bullying” and against “Zionist Israel’s aggression”. She also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel a day before the strike on Iran.
“Why is Narendra Modi silent regarding Trump’s imperialist aggression towards Iran? Why is he quiet about the attack carried out on Iran? Holding the blood-stained hands of Netanyahu of Israel, he said this is the voice of the people of India. Which people’s voice is this? Did you go to Israel to offer support? And within 24 hours, there was an attack on Iran. Did you go there to give India’s approval stamp to it?” Karat said. She added that India’s foreign policy is guided by certain principles and that Modi should view foreign relations from the perspective of national sovereignty.
“What about national sovereignty—you have bowed to Trump and remain silent over the issue. This is a pro-imperialist foreign policy,” she said.
Addressing the gathering, CPI-(Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said it was clear that the situation was moving towards a regional war.
Referring to Modi’s visit to Israel, he said the Indian government must immediately take steps to stop the war and work towards peace.
“We know that Modi ji went to Israel. He came back and the war started. So it is our responsibility to ensure that there is no partnership with India in this war. In Iran, we saw that the Supreme Leader was assassinated. The Supreme Leader of Iran is not only the leader of Iran but also a religious leader for the Shia community worldwide,” he said.
The Left leaders alleged that the United States was “shedding crocodile tears in the name of women”.
“We saw that in Iran, women are fighting for their freedom. In the same Iran, more than 100 girls were killed in a primary school. America and Israel did it. Thousands have lost their lives in the last four days in Iran. This war will have a severe impact on India after Iran, as many Indians work in West Asian countries,” Bhattacharya said.