Mamata Banerjee’s annual July 21 rally turned into a clarion call to all national and regional parties for a grand alliance against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“I don’t know what will happen in 2024. My appeal to all parties is to make a front and plan (for the polls from now),” Mamata said in her address delivered virtually from her Kalighat residence. “If the doctor comes after death, then there is nothing that can be done. If you can call a meeting, I can attend. We can sit together and talk, where is the country heading to,” Mamata said.

The Bengal chief minister made it clear that stitching together a coalition ahead of the polls would not be enough to take on the BJP monolith.

“Forget self-interest. Save the country, save the states and the federal structure,” Mamata said.

The latest round of revelations under the Pegasus scandal, in which the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is accused of compromising national security as several dozens of Indians including key political leaders were potential targets of snooping by the Israeli-made spyware, has given Mamata fresh ammo to take on the BJP.

Though Mamata’s name did not figure in the list of potential targets, her nephew and Trinamul general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and adviser Prashant Kishore’s names have been included.

During her speech, Mamata, however, claimed that she too was a victim of the snooping.

“If they are tapping Abhishek’s phone, I talk with him, my phone is also being tapped. If they have PK in the list, I talk to him as well,” she said.

Mamata alleged ahead of the Bengal Assembly polls, a meeting that she held with Abhishek and PK was recorded.

Mamata said under the shadow of the Pegasus scandal it was important to hold in-person meetings with other leaders of the Opposition during her visit to Delhi next week.

“I cannot talk with Pawar ji or Chidambaram ji, chief ministers of other states since my phone is being tapped. Instead of giving money to the people, they are spending it on spygiri,” she said, describing the snooping controversy as bigger than “Whitegate (Watergate scandal)".

“Democracy is under threat. We have to start our planning from now. Pegasus is dangerous, ferocious. Their dictatorship is too much. Whatever you are doing is being recorded, your brain is being scanned,” she said.

She also displayed her phone with sticking tapes all around it as a safety measure against snooping.

The tapes are unlikely to be of any worth against the spyware that enables remote surveillance of smartphones, unlocks content and transforms it into a listening device. The spyware is sold by the Israeli developer NSO only to governments across the world to combat terrorism and serious crimes.

The report that was released last Sunday internationally, said that selected numbers were targeted in 2019.

Mamata's virtual address, which was streamed live in some other states, was also heard by leaders of several political parties, including two former allies of the BJP—Shiv Sena and Akali Dal—who were among the audience at the Constitution Club in Delhi.

Those listening to Mamata’s speech were Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram, Supriya Sule, Priyanka Chaturverdi, Digvijay Singh, Manoj Jha of RJD, Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav and Jaya Bachchan, Balwinder Singh Bhunder of Akali Dal, K Keshav Rao of TRS, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva and AAP’s Sanjay Singh.

Referring to the Pegasus scandal repeatedly in her 30-minute speech, Mamata also questioned whether the judiciary could play a role.

“The country will be ruined if this goes on. The phones of Supreme Court judges are being tapped. Spygiri chal raha hai. Ministers, officers, all leaders, all judges, all media houses are captured by Pegasus. The BJP has destroyed all the pillars of democracy. Whatever one says it is recorded and used for blackmail with Pegasus. Instead of a democratic state, we have surveillance state,” she said. “I want to ask the Supreme Court can’t it take suo motu cognizance of the matter (use of Pegasus for surveillance)?”

Mamata reminded Pawar and Chidambaram about the time when the central agencies had hounded the two leaders. Chidambaram even had to go to jail.

Repeating her "Khela hobe" slogan of the Assembly elections, Mamata said the game will be on in other states, till the BJP was removed from power.

“They thought with Pegasus, money power, muscle power, mafia power, central agencies they will capture Bengal, but the people have taught them a lesson,” she said.

In what would seem to be a planned show of strength on the ground, Mamata said if the Covid situation improved, she would call a rally of all the Opposition parties at Brigade Parade ground in December, with an invite to Sonia Gandhi and others.