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At rally with Akhilesh, Mamata says NDA Govt is unstable and TMC needs ‘morally strong’ people

At the Martyrs’ Day rally, Mamata Banerjee urges TMC leaders and cadres to prefer walking to travelling in cars as it is good for their health and ‘brain will work better’.

akhilesh yadav, mamata banerjeeTMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav share stage in TMC mega Martyrs Day rally in Kolkata on Sunday, July 21, 2024. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

At Sunday’s Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would not complete its five-year term and might fall any day. She also warned workers and leaders of her Trinamool Congress against corruption.

Mamata Banerjee spoke just after Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, who also said the Central Government would fall soon.

“Yeh sarkar kutch din ke mehman hain. Yeh Dilli ki sarkar chalnewali nahi, girnewali hain,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, adding that the BJP government’s fall would usher in happy days.

Echoing Yadav, Banerjee said, “I thank you. I want to congratulate the Samajwadi Party. The game you played in Uttar Pradesh… BJP should have resigned, but it has no shame. You will have to wait a few days. I agree with you that the Government in Delhi, which was brought to power using central agencies and the Election Commission, is not stable. It may fall any day. Enough is enough.”

Banerjee also attacked the CPM and the Congress. “We fought against three parties. I salute the people of this state. The more we win, the softer we need to become,” she said.

“Bengal is the soil of movements. Gandhiji was born in Gujarat but half of his life was spent in Bengal. During British rule, there were three places where an independent government was formed. One is Bengal’s Tamralipta, the other two are Balia (UP) and Satara of Maharashtra. If Bengal was not there, Independence would not have been achieved… The BJP can’t run movements. They can only file PIL petitions. They used to say we could eat 26,000 jobs and we could eat 45,000 jobs. They are trying to end OBC reservation. But we will fight. We have already filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.”

However, throughout her speech, Banerjee stressed the need for transparency in public life. “Ami bittoban chai na, bibekbaan chai (I don’t want the rich; I want morally strong people),” she said.

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“Thank the people. Try to complete incomplete work. If you can’t, inform the party. Don’t travel in a car. If possible, walk in your area. It is good for your health. Brain will work better. Don’t travel in a big car. It is better to roam on a scooter or a bicycle. That is why I give bicycles to students under the Sabooj Sathi scheme,” the TMC supremo told her party’s leaders and cadres.

Banerjee added, “Our party is not only a political organisation. It is also a social organisation. Today you may have money. Tomorrow you may not have it. But there is no alternative to standing beside people. If we get any complaints, we will take action… We need friends. If you are such a human, nobody can defeat you. You must not do any wrong things and tolerate any injustice. Give respect to women as well as SC, ST and minority sisters and brothers.”

Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More

Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

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