Left continues with protest against five-nation naval exercise Malabar

Left Parties on Wednesday continued with their protests against the multi-nation naval exercise Malabar that began in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.

Chennai, Sept. 5 : Left Parties on Wednesday continued with their protests against the multi-nation naval exercise 'Malabar' that began in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday.

After paying tribute to freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai here on his 136th birth anniversary, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat, said the campaign should be seen as a symbolic fight against American imperialism.

"Today, our rulers are inviting the same imperialist to come to India, to bring their navy and their ships here. That's why, it's appropriate that while paying tribute to this great fighter, we also pledge that we will launch a struggle against India being made an ally of this imperialism," said Karat.

Pillai went to prison for his 'Swadeshi Shipping Company' during the British regime.

This year, the exercises have been expanded to include a few ships from Australia, Japan and Singapore in what some analysts see as a new alliance of democracies ranged against the growing military might of China.

The exercises have angered Left Parties, who shore up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition, which they say brings them under America hegemony.

"We are not a part of the Government and the UPA. We just support the Government from outside. As far as the Left is concerned, we are extremely agonized with the way, the Government has agreed to participate in the joint naval exercise," said D Raja, the National Secretary of the CPI.

The Left has launched two 'jathas' or processions - one from Kolkata and the other from Chennai.

The rallies will converge in the port city of Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command on September 8.

About two dozen ships from five nations, led by the United States, are participating in this exercise.

The naval drill is the seventh involving aircraft carriers, submarines and fighter jets of India and the US.The UPA Government is also facing stiff resistance from opposition.

ANI