From West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav sharing the stage and jointly predicting that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would fall soon, to Mamata issuing a warning to errant party members and commenting on the Bangladesh unrest – the TMC’s annual Shaheed Dibas (Martyrs’ Day) mega rally held in Kolkata on Sunday – marking the anniversary of the deaths of 13 Congress workers in police firing in 1993 – went beyond just being a political event. Here are the key takeaways from the rally. Mamata, Akhilesh message to Centre Both Mamata and Akhilesh used their rally speeches to attack the Narendra Modi-led government. “Yeh sarkar kuch din ka mehman hain. Yeh Dilli ka sarkar chalne wali nahi, girne wali hain (This central government will be short-lived. The government in Delhi won’t work, it will collapse). Very soon, we will witness them going down and those will be happy days. This government in power at the Centre, which doesn’t care for people, will fall soon. They are desperate for power,” Akhilesh said while sharing the dais with Mamata and her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at the rally in the heart of Kolkata. Speaking after Akhilesh, Mamata said, “I thank you. I want to congratulate the Samajwadi Party. Uttar Pradesh mein jo khel aap ne dikhaya (The Lok Sabha poll performance you pulled off in Uttar Pradesh). The 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. Any day it may fall. Enough is enough.” “Mamata, Akhilesh taught Modi lesson” Abhishek, while highlighting the significance of the Shaheed Dibas rally, said the SP and TMC chiefs were the key leaders who fought against the BJP. “Two leaders who taught Narendra Modi a right lesson are Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav,” he told the mammoth gathering, adding, “The BJP tried to tarnish the image of the TMC, but they basically tarnished the image of Bengal. They made false allegations in Sandeshkhali, which tarnished the image of Bengal. They were defeated in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, under which Sandeshkhali falls, by more than three lakh votes.” Raising heat over NEET row Keeping their guns trained on the Centre over the alleged NEET-UG irregularities and leaks, Abhishek demanded the arrest of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also slammed the BJP-led government for showing discrimination in its central agency probes. “A day after July 21 in 2022, (the Enforcement Directorate) raided the house of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and arrested him. We don’t shield anyone who has made mistakes and we do not allow injustice. But if Partha Chatterjee’s house can be raided by central agencies in the (state School Service Commission) recruitment scam and he can be arrested, then why shouldn’t Dharmendra Pradhan be arrested and his house be raided for the NEET scam, which is the biggest scam in India since Independence. Why this discrimination?” Abhishek said. Reprimanding errant TMC leaders, workers During her speech, Mamata told her party leaders and workers to maintain transparency in their work. “Ami bittoban chai na, bibekbaan chai (I don’t want the rich, I want morally strong people),” she said, adding, “Thank people. Try to complete incomplete work. If you can’t, inform the party. Don’t travel by car. If possible, walk in your area. It is good for your health. Brain will work better. Don’t travel by a big car. It is better to roam with a scooter or bicycle. That is why I give bicycles to students under the Sabooj Sathi scheme.” She said, “In the Trinamool Congress, there is no leader, all are workers. Workers are our assets. If any worker has any complaints, go to them and try to understand their allegations and problems and bring them back into the party.” Despite its resounding Lok Sabha and Assembly bypoll victories, the TMC top brass has been embarrassed by recent incidents of “kangaroo courts” being held by some mid-level party leaders in some areas of the state. Both Mamata and Abhishek sent a strong message to these “bahubali (strongman)” leaders who have emerged in several pockets of the state, as well as to those who are sheltering them. “We need social friends. Our party is not only a political organisation, but it is also a social organisation. Today you may have money, tomorrow you may not, but there is no alternative than to stand beside people. If we get any complaints, we will take action. You shall not do any wrong things and we will not tolerate any injustice. Give respect to women, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, minority sisters and brothers,” Mamata said. Abhishek also said, “This win (in Lok Sabha polls) is a win for all soldiers of the Trinamool Congress. We should be more polite and humble in the coming days.” “Those who think that they can work in different ways in different polls, will face action. I had been busy for the past few days as I was doing introspection of our party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls. I will take action within three months. Those councillors or Panchayat members who think that after winning elections they won’t work for the Lok Sabha constituencies, as it is Mamata Banerjee’s responsibility, will face action,” Abhishek said. ‘Will shelter helpless Bangladesh people’ Mamata extended her sympathies for the people of Bangladesh, where clashes between police and protesters over reservation in government jobs have killed scores of people, and said that “if helpless people knock on Bengal’s door, they will be given shelter”. She asked people not to fall prey to “instigations”. “I will not comment on Bangladesh. It is a different country. Whatever there is to say, the Indian government will say. Jodi asohai manush Banglar dorja thokthokai, amra tader asroy debo (But if helpless people knock on the door of Bengal, we will give them shelter). There is a United Nations resolution that neighbouring areas can help if someone is in trouble. Earlier, when some people faced problems in Assam, they took shelter in Bengal,” Mamata said. She also said the Bengal government is ready to help with the evacuation of Indian residents who are stuck in Bangladesh. “If there are relatives (of Indian residents) in Bangladesh, they may have gone there to work or to study, we are ready to help them return,” the CM said.
