On July 21, 1993, activists from the Youth Congress led by Mamata Banerjee attempted to storm the Writers’ Building, the seat of power in Calcutta at the time. Police opened fire on demonstrators on instructions from Jyoti Basu’s government, killing 13 and injuring many.
The incident catapulted Mamata to the forefront of Bengali politics and became a household name. Since then, she has been commemorating July 21st each year as Shaheed Diwas, the event that only got bigger after she came to power in 2011. On this day, huge rallies are organized in Calcutta, where many supporters of the Trinamool Congress from all corners of the city gather together.
However, this year will be different. There is no rally at the famous Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. Instead, Mamata will address its supporters virtually given the Covid-19 situation.
But there is a twist!
What can be perceived as Mamata’s national ambitions, this time her speech will be broadcast live in major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu as well as in states with significant Bengali populations such as Assam and Tripura.
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In Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due early next year, and where Trinamool weighs his chances, the speech will be broadcast in the capital Lucknow and Varanasi constituency by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apart from Mirzapur, Azamgarh and Bareilly. Incidentally, Varanasi has a sizeable Bengali population.
Trinamool sources say Mamata now wants to bring the fight to Modi’s home state. But is the move with a view to 2024? Does it want to be the fulcrum of the unity of the opposition? Does she want to present herself as the greatest leader in the opposition camp, encouraged by her tremendous victory in the recent elections in West Bengal?
Interestingly, recently a political strategist and one of Mamata’s most trusted helpers Prashant Kishor met Sharad Pawar and the Gandhi Trio. Sources say it was the Bengali CM who sent Kishor as their envoy to the meetings.
Mamata will reach Delhi on July 26th, and she has a series of meetings planned. Sources say she could stand up for Akhilesh Yadav in UP as well. Interestingly, Kishor worked for Akhilesh in the 2017 election. In addition, the Samajwadi Party has adopted the Bhojpuri version of the Trinamool election slogan “Khela Hobe” as “Khela Hoi”.
(The author is a senior journalist from Kolkata)
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