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Eyeing panchayat polls, Mamata to outline TMC roadmap at July 21 rally in Kolkata
The TMC has planned to bring workers from the north Bengal districts where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made maximum inroads by winning seven of the region’s eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 30 of the 54 assembly seats in the eight north Bengal districts in 2021
Ahead of the panchayat polls next year and the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for 2024, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee will set the roadmap for her party at a mega rally in Kolkata on July 21, the day on which she pays homage to the memory of 13 youth Congress workers killed in police firing in the Bengal capital in 1993.
TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee made the announcement on Friday after top leaders, legislators and members of Parliament attended a closed-door meeting held by the chief minister’s nephew and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee who is heading the party’s expansion programme in other states.
“We have always observed July 21 as Saheed Divas (martyr’s day) through our biggest annual rally. It could not be physically held for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Mamata Banerjee had to address party workers virtually. This year’s rally will witness a record turnout at Esplanade in Kolkata. Our leader will set the roadmap for our workers and leaders,” Chatterjee said.
The TMC has planned to bring workers from the north Bengal districts where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made maximum inroads by winning seven of the region’s eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and 30 of the 54 assembly seats in the eight north Bengal districts in 2021.
“Abhishek Banerjee wants more workers from north Bengal to attend. In the past, most of the people used to come from south Bengal districts. Preparatory meetings will start from tomorrow to make the event a success,” Chatterjee said.
Mamata Banerjee was a Youth Congress leader in 1993 and had led an agitation on July 21 against the state’s Left Front government. Over the years, the rally has emerged as a symbol of the TMC’s struggle since its inception in 1998 and serves as a platform from which Banerjee sends out messages and declares future plans.
Last year, the TMC chief attacked the BJP over the alleged use of Israeli software Pegasus for snooping on politicians, activists and journalists and made on open appeal to regional parties to put together an opposition front to defeat the BJP in the 2024 national elections.
The TMC also made its first attempt to reach out to a national audience in 2021.
Giant screens were installed at public places and TMC offices not only in Bengal but also in states such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. Banerjee spoke in Bengali, English and Hindi.
In Delhi, leaders of regional parties assembled at the Constitution Club of India to listen to her speech. Among those present was former finance minister P Chidambaram and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.
Speculations have started on what the TMC might be planning this year since Banerjee has renewed her attempts to bring regional leaders on a common platform before the Presidential elections.
