Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked everyone to cooperate with the administration for Thursday’s Martyrs’ Day rally in Calcutta and urged all to witness the event, which according to the Trinamul Congress would have “a record-shattering turnout”.
“Tomorrow is our July 21, and it is a historic, momentous occasion for us. It is a very emotive day for us…. We do most of our important dedications and remembrances from the event,” said the Bengal chief minister in a video message on social media.
“The weather is usually not great this time of the year, with a great deal of rain and thunderstorms sometimes. But our workers turn out in lakhs to attend the event, taking initiative on their own,” she added.
The Trinamul Congress chairperson, who visited the Esplanade dais for the rally for around an hour on Wednesday evening to oversee the final arrangements, issued a public apology for the disruption the mega event was likely to cause.
“We cannot change the venue because this is where it took place. I seek forgiveness from the people. There will be crowding. Please bear with us for a day,” said Mamata at Esplanade.
On July 21, 1993, 13 people had died in a police firing at Esplanade when the Left Front was in power during a march led by Mamata, then a Youth Congress leader. “We had not been able to do this (hold the Martyrs’ Day rally) physically because of Covid-19 for the past two years. We are able to do it this year. For whatever inconvenience you might face because of this, I seek your forgiveness,” said Mamata at the venue.
Trinamul has vowed to ensure the highest-ever turnout for the event, setting a target of at least 20 lakh attendees.“I would request everybody to join. Witness it tomorrow, by being physically present, whoever is able to. Those who cannot, watch it live on mainstream or social media, especially those who are not here,” said Mamata in her video message.
Trinamul has rued the missed opportunities of conducting the event offline in 2020 and 2021. Especially last year, after the party’s historic victory, following which she had disallowed even celebratory rallies at ward or block levels.
“I appeal to all political parties, everyone in the administration… everybody around the world to come and witness July 21,” said Mamata in her video message, before reciting one of her poems.
A senior in Trinamul’s top-tier leadership said Mamata was expected to lay out the roadmap for the party, right up to the general election of 2024. He said she was likely to underscore the importance of Trinamul securing the Bengal bastion first, winning as many of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state as possible, to ensure that the party wielded considerable clout even if the BJP retained power at the Centre.
“She will probably set another ‘42 out of 42’-kind of target. Not in as many words, perhaps, because that embarrassingly backfired in 2019,” said the leader.
In 2019, the BJP made unprecedented gains in Bengal, winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. However, after being routed in the Assembly election last year, followed by an unending series of defections to Trinamul, the saffron camp appears unlikely to be able to replicate its success story in the state.
“She will also set goals for panchayat polls next year, while emphasising the need for restraint, warning against excesses to ensure sweeps in 2018 that cost us dearly in 2019,” he added.
“Most importantly, without the shadow of a doubt, she will come out all guns blazing against the BJP, and how it has been running the nation.”There is also a great deal of interest in Trinamul’s stand on the vice-presidential election as Mamata is yet to react publicly to the NDA’s choice of Jagdeep Dhankhar as its nominee.
“She has convened a meeting after the event, at her residence, to strategise for the monsoon session of Parliament, and to decide on the vice-presidential election. But knowing her, she might make her stand clear in the speech, in a moment of spontaneity,” said a Rajya Sabha member.
