Muslim groups, Left to oppose Bush visit

A memorandum would be submitted to the Andhra governor with thousands of signatures collected in the city to oppose Bush's visit.

Muslim groups, Left parties and other organisations have come together to oppose the visit of US President George W Bush to India -- and to this southern city.

HT Image

About 40 groups, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), Tameer-e-Millat, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, their affiliated trade unions and civil liberties groups have formed a forum to chalk out protests.

A day after holding a 'people's court' here where Bush was held guilty of perpetrating terrorism and mass murders, the forum on Monday announced its decision to take to the streets.

Moulana Abdul Basit Anwar of Jamaat-e-Islami told a news conference that a public meeting would be held March 2 and a rally and sit-in March 3, when Bush is scheduled to visit the city for a few hours.

The Jamaat-e-Islami has along with other Muslim political, religious and social groups already called for a shutdown during Bush's presence in Hyderabad.

It said a memorandum would be submitted to the Andhra Pradesh governor with thousands of signatures collected in the city to oppose Bush's visit.

Anwar said e-mail messages and letters would also be sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to cancel Bush's visit.

Shia groups, angry over destruction of a sacred shrine in Samarra in Iraq, have joined the forum.