The Trinamul Congress on Sunday will organise a rally in Birbhum on the route that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had taken on the final day of the Bengal leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the district.
On Friday. Rahul, on a red convertible, started his Yatra in Birbhum from Majhipara on the Murshidabad border. The Bangla leg of his Nyay Yatra ended at Rajgram before the procession entered Jharkhand's Pakur. The Yatra covered around 60km in Birbhum district.
Trinamul's rally would cover the same stretch to protest against the "deprivation to Bengal" by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and thanking chief minister Mamata Banerjee for her announcement to provide due wages of 21 lakh MGNREGA workers by February 21.
Trinamul's rally will start at Majhipara on the Birbhum-Murshidabad border on Sunday around 3pm and cover the Assembly segments of Hasan, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Murarai.
"Most of our leaders and party workers will cover the stretch from Murshidabad border to Jharkhand border of Birbhum on two-wheelers. It will be a mega rally and thousands of people will take part in it," said Asish Banerjee, deputy Speaker and Trinamul MLA from Rampurhat.
The deputy Speaker, who is the senior-most member of the Trinamul core committee in Birbhum, however, denied admitting that Trinamul's rally was to counter Rahul's Yatra.
Despite the official denial, multiple sources in Trinamul confirmed that the event was planned on Saturday night following orders of top Trinamul leaders in Calcutta. As curbs were put on Rahul's Yatra citing Madhyamik exams, Trinamul hurriedly arranged the rally on Sunday, a no-exam day, and promised no microphones.
A source said Rahul's Yatra passed through the stretch known as the minority belt and stronghold of Trinamul in Birbhum, and drew huge crowds at different points.
"Congress leaders of Bengal targeted a specific zone for Rahul's Yatra. Areas like Murarai and Nalhati, which used to be a Congress bastion till Trinamul came to power, were chosen deliberately. Our rally will be a counter to the Congress-Left's attempts at dividing minority votes," said a Trinamul leader.
Congress leaders said the success of the Yatra made Trinamul nervous before Lok Sabha polls.
"Trinamul and its leader Mamata Banerjee became afraid seeing the huge crowds in support of Rahul Gandhi despite all their moves to create hurdles by using police and the administration. That is why they arranged a rally on the same route that our great leader covered," said Milton Rashid, the Congress Birbhum district president.