TMC Martyrs’ Day Rally Highlights: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee, addressing the rally to mark Shaheed Diwas on Monday, took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of “Bengali ashmita (pride) and the detention of Bengali-speaking migrants in various Indian states. “Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe” (Terror has been unleashed on Bengali language)… Over 1,000 people have been detained, sent to jails in BJP-ruled states including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh. This is a massive conspiracy against Bengali language. They are now dictating what we eat – ‘who will eat egg, who will eat chicken meat’ – intruding upon our most basic freedoms. Bengal will not tolerate this!” Banerjee said.
Earlier, calling the BJP “anti-Bengali,” TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee questioned the BJP for its inaction towards comments made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about Bengali-speaking population in India. “What action was taken against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for saying that speaking in Bengali means one is Bangladeshi? What has the BJP leadership done about it? If needed, we will speak in Bengali in Parliament. We are Bengalis, and we will never bow down,” Abhishek said, while addressing the Shaheed Diwas rally. “Why are you (BJP) people so angry that we are talking in Bengali, is it because you were defeated in Bengal…?” he asked.
Traffic curbs: In view of the event, the Kolkata Police have put in place a slew of traffic measures in the central part of the city. The processions related to the annual TMC rally in Dharmatala will be permitted only before 8 am and after 11 am. The police released a notification outlining extensive traffic restrictions for passenger vehicles from 4 am to 9 pm on July 21. Here’s a list of the affected routes.
Addressing a rally at Kolkata's Esplanade East on Monday to mark Shaheed Diwas, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hailed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, calling them "true assets."
"How many people will you jail? My party's true assets are its workers, Trinamool stands as a banyan tree. Those who believe they can crush us by slandering Mamata and Abhishek are gravely mistaken. Did you truly think ED-CBI could end us? The challenge persists," Banerjee said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday announced that a “Durga aangan” will be built in Bengal similar to "the Jagannath dham (which was built in Digha)…”
"It seems you're afraid of those who speak in Bengali. Yet, it was from Bengali that Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Kazi Nazrul Islam emerged. Even our national anthem was born from this very language."
After July 27, every Saturday and Sunday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will protest against the oppression of Bengali language, she added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will protest if people are arrested for speaking Bengali across states in India.
"I respect the EC Chair, but if 40 lakh people are removed from Bengal's electoral roll, as seen in Bihar, we will protest. We've fought it, and even brought people back from detention camps by fighting the matter in court... If people are arrested for speaking Bengali, I will take the fight to Delhi. Remember this."
"Hum Hindi bhasha ko bhi pyar karte hain, gujarati bhasha, marathi bhasha ko bhi pyar karte hain. Aap bangla bhashi ke khilaf sazish kyu kar rahe hain? Remember Bengal took part in the fight for Independence. I am putting it straight: if people are put behind the bars for speaking in Bengali language than we will protest . I am not someone who leave the fight midway, remember the Nandigram fight, remember Singrur... BJP has to be removed from the Centre," she told the gathering.
Moreover, responding to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's comment on Bengali-speaking people in India, Banerjee said, "you can’t control Assam but are interfering in Bengal… if you continue this, I would ask Susmita Dev to start the movement in Assam, we all will go there…"
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday introduced the gathering which had arrived to attend the TMC-led Shaheed Diwas rally to the father of Jhantu Ali Sheikh, and family member of Bitan Adhikari, the victims of Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.
These families were provided with Rs 1 lakh each by the TMC.
(Express Photos by Partha Paul)
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee, addressing the rally to mark Shaheed Diwas on Monday, took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of “Bengali ashmita (pride) and the detention of Bengali-speaking migrants in various Indian states.
“Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe” (Terror has been unleashed on Bengali language)… Over 1,000 people have been detained, sent to jails in BJP-ruled states including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh. This is a massive conspiracy against Bengali language. They are now dictating what we eat – ‘who will eat egg, who will eat chicken meat’ – intruding upon our most basic freedoms. Bengal will not tolerate this!” Banerjee said.
"The fight will continue until there is a change at the Centre in Delhi," she said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee Monday said that the TMC will reduce the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to zero seats.
"Have we, the TMC, ever engaged in such revengeful politics? Name one instance where our Chief Minister, after a loss, halted welfare schemes like Lakshmi Bhandar or Kanyashree. Our politics is solely for the well-being of the people. In 2026, we must reduce them (BJP) to zero seats," he said while addressing a rally on Shaheed Diwas.
Earlier during his speech, he also said, "After 2026, we will make you say Joy Bangla. Today, you are compelled to chant 'Joy Maa Kali, Joy Maa Durga.' The very Durga Puja committees you previously targeted with income tax notices now see you forced to abandon your 'Jai Shri Ram,' and instead utter 'Joy Maa Kali' and 'Joy Maa Durga.'"
Calling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “anti-Bengali,” Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee Monday questioned the non-action of the BJP towards comments made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about Bengali-speaking population in India.
“What action was taken against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for saying that speaking in Bengali means one is Bangladeshi? What has the BJP leadership done about it? If needed, we will speak in Bengali in Parliament. We are Bengalis, and we will never bow down,” Banerjee said, while addressing the Shaheed Diwas rally.
“Why are you (BJP) people so angry that we are talking in Bengali, is it because you were defeated in Bengal…?” he asked.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee Monday, addressing the Shaheed Diwas rally in Kolkata, hailed the party workers, calling them its "strength."
"Our workers are our main strength… BJP repeatedly lost to us because of our workers," Banerjee said, adding, "This BJP is anti-Bengali… why are you (BJP) people are so angry that we are talking in Bengali? Is it because you were defeated in Bengal…?"
"Despite having access to immense financial resources, agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax, the Election Commission, and even Pegasus software, the BJP cannot defeat the TMC. This is because they lack even a single worker comparable to those in the TMC, they don't have a single worker like ours, and they never will."
The Calcutta High Court on Monday was all praises for the way the Kolkata Police managed traffic on the day of the Shaheed Diwas rally by the Trinamool Congress, when lakhs of people had come from all over the state.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh observed, “The roads have been maintained very well. I always say that I have full faith in the Kolkata police,” while giving the police a certificate.
A lawyer from New Alipore agreed, claiming that he had reached the court from his residence at the same time as on other days in his car.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee Monday reached Esplanade East in Kolkata, and is likely to address a rally to mark “Shaheed Diwas” (Martyrs’ Day).
Banerjee is expected to take on the BJP on the issue of “Bengali ashmita (pride)” and detention of Bengali-speaking migrants in various states.
West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister and Mayor of Kolkata Firhad Hakim, addressing the gathering at Kolkata's Esplanade East on Shaheed Diwas, started his speech with sloganeering of “Jai Bangla”.
She also recited Rabindranath Tagore and Kaji Nazrul Islam’s poetry during the event.
“We ousted CPIM from Bengal with these Martyr’s blood. If necessary, we are ready to give more blood to oust BJP from Bengal under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee…,” said Hakim.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee arrived at Kolkata's Esplanade East to attend the Shaheed Diwas rally on Monday.
(Express Photos by Partha Paul)
Martyr's Day rally started in Kolkata's Esplanade East area, with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and Matua leader Mamata Bala Thakur igniting Bengali sentiments.
“BJP-ruled states are returning Matuas who used to go to different states for earning… they are being labelled as Bangladeshis, even after they showed their Matua cards… BJP is basically anti-Bengali…” said Thakur.
Thousands of Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters have started to gather at Esplanade East for the Martyr’s Day rally to be held today in Kolkata.
(Express Photos and Videos by Partha Paul)
Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee took to X (formerly Twitter) to commemorate the deaths of 13 Youth Congress workers back in 1993, after the police resorted to lathi-charge and opened fire at protesters demanding that voter ID be made the sole document required for voting.
He wrote: :21st July is not just a date- It’s a defiance etched in time. On Shahid Dibas, we remember: Bullets may kill bodies, but not beliefs. The spirit of Bengal cannot be crushed by tyranny. In 1993, 13 brave hearts were martyred - not for power, but for the principle of democracy. Their courage ignited a movement that shaped the destiny of our state and nation."
"Today, we renew that pledge. To protect every inch of our democracy and motherland. To confront hatred with unity. To stand unyielding against those who dream of dismantling our Constitution. To those who dare test Bengal’s resolve - Know this: Memory is our Armour. Resistance is our Legacy. We do not retreat. We do not surrender," he added.
On July 21, 1993, the state Youth Congress (YC) then led by Mamata Banerjee organised a “Writers’ abhijaan (March to Writers’ Building, a colonial building that was the seat of the state secretariat)”, with the demand to make voter ID cards the only document required for voting. The Congress raised this demand to put an end to the alleged rigging of polls by the Left.
It had been planned that supporters would move towards Writers' Buildings from different directions and lay a siege on the state secretariat. Mamata had, in the meantime, demonstrated her crowd-pulling ability by holding a successful Youth Congress rally at the Brigade Parade Ground. But the then chief minister Jyoti Basu had already announced that he would not allow the state secretariat to be taken over by the YC brigade.
But as planned by the YC, rallies were heading towards Writers' from different directions — from Brabourne Road, from BB Ganguly Street, from Mission Row. One procession was approaching from Mayo Road, where gatherings are prohibited under Section 144. It was stopped by police at the crossing of Mayo Road and Red Road. A scuffle ensued. A few people started throwing stones. Police resorted to lathi-charge. The crowd started running across Curzon Park and the battle spread. Afraid that they would be outnumbered, policemen opened fire. Thirteen people were shot dead.
Thousands of Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters have started to gather at Esplanade East for the Martyr's Day rally to be held today in Kolkata.
Top leaders of TMC, including state president Subrata Bakshi, state minister Aroop Biswas, Firhad Hakim and others have also reached the venue.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to reach Esplanade around 12 noon.
TMC sources said, Uttam Brajabasi, resident of Dinhata, who was given NRC notice by Assam government will be present at the main stage along with TMC’s top leadership.
The annual Shaheed Diwas rally commemorates the death of 13 Youth Congress workers in 1993 after the police resorted to lathi-charge and opened fire at protesters demanding that voter ID be made the sole document required for voting.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, then a leader of the Youth Congress, was leading the protest demonstration.
Since the party’s formation in 1998, Shaheed Diwas became the TMC’s signature annual event as it allowed the party to lay claim to a legacy of anti-CPI(M) politics and create a narrative that it is the most resolute political force standing up to the Left in West Bengal.
Advising commuters to anticipate significant diversions and delays, the Kolkata Police have recommended the Metro as the most reliable travel option to avoid road congestion.
No goods vehicles will be permitted to enter the city from 3 am to 8 pm on July 21. Exceptions have been made for vehicles carrying essential goods such as LPG gas cylinders, fish, and meat, according to the Police.
The police may temporarily direct vehicles to alternate routes, including diverting major road traffic to smaller roads, based on real-time assessments.
The Kolkata Police have decided to implement a slew of traffic measures in the central part of the city on Monday in view of the ruling Trinamool Congress’s Shaheed Diwas program.
The processions related to the annual TMC rally in Dharmatala will be permitted only before 8 am and after 11 am.
The police released a notification outlining extensive traffic restrictions for passenger vehicles from 4 am to 9 pm on July 21.
Kolkata Police Commissioner (CP) Manoj Verma has launched three helplines – 1073, 9830811111, and 9830010000 – for the assistance of the public on rally day.
Here are the affected routes:
Setting the tone for a high-voltage campaign for the Assembly election, that is less than a year away, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee will address a rally to mark “Shaheed Diwas” (Martyrs’ Day) in Kolkata today.
Banerjee is expected to take on the BJP on the issue of “Bengali ashmita (pride)” and detention of Bengali-speaking migrants in various states.
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