India News | West Bengal: TMC Observes July 21 'Shaheed Diwas' in Kolkata; BJP, Rebel NCPI MPs Stage Parallel Event
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. July 21 is observed every year as 'Shaheed Diwas' in West Bengal to commemorate the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest under the Left Front regime in 1993.
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 21 (ANI): The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday observed its 21st July Martyrs' Day rally at Birla Planetarium in Kolkata, West Bengal, to commemorate the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest under the Left Front regime in 1993.
TMC supporters gathered in Kolkata for the Martyrs' Day event, with one supporter expressing confidence in the party's electoral prospects.
"TMC will win again. I support Didi," the supporter said.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Saugata Roy, speaking in Kolkata on Martyrs' Day, recalled the 1993 incident and said the protest was led by Mamata Banerjee.
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"Back then, a procession demanding voter identity cards--led by Mamata Banerjee--was fired upon by the government's police in Kolkata; 13 people died, and 200 were injured. Mamata Banerjee has been observing Martyrs Day ever since to commemorate that event," Roy told ANI.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Keya Ghosh criticised the TMC's observance of the day and alleged that the event had been turned into a political spectacle.
"This event originated during Mamata Banerjee's time in TMC; back then, the TMC used to observe it by setting up stages for entertainment and bringing in television stars, turning it into a spectacle where the BJP was verbally abused. She never truly focused on the martyrs themselves," Ghosh said.
"How many martyrs' families did she actually stand by or help secure jobs for while she was in power?" she asked.
Ghosh also targeted Congress, saying, "As for Congress, they should actually be thanking the BJP government; for all these years, they were unable to observe the day properly. Now that the BJP government is here, they are able to properly observe July 21. This is true democracy."
She further claimed that if the BJP had acted similarly, the TMC would not have been allowed to hold the event.
"If the BJP were to act that way, we wouldn't have even allowed the July 21 stage to be built in the first place," Ghosh said.
Ghosh also criticised Banerjee over the appointment of Manish Gupta, whom she alleged was the Principal Secretary of the Home Department at the time of the police firing.
"Mamata Banerjee's heart supposedly bled for the martyrs, yet she appointed Manish Gupta, the Principal Secretary of the Home Department at the time, under whose orders the firing on Congress workers took place, as a minister. Even after he lost the election, she gave him a rank higher than a minister," she alleged.
"The most crucial point is that she suppressed the Sushanta Chatterjee Commission report for years and refused to make it public. After all, the mastermind behind the incident was inducted into her party, made a minister, and even granted a rank higher than that of a minister," Ghosh alleged.
Meanwhile, rebel TMC MPs who have joined the NCPI marked the occasion in Delhi by visiting Raj Ghat.
Rebel TMC MP and NCPI leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said they visited Raj Ghat to remember the 13 Youth Congress workers killed in the 1993 police firing.
"In 1993, police firing killed 13 innocent Youth Congress workers during Jyoti Basu government. We observe 21st July as Martyrs' Day against that. We have joined a new party, NCPI now. So, we thought of coming to Raj Ghat and remembering those martyrs," Bandyopadhyay told reporters.
Another rebel TMC MP and NCPI leader, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, said the MPs had joined the new party after listening to the people of West Bengal.
"Parliament is in session. The monsoon session has commenced. 20 of us who are here have joined NCPI because the party where we won the election from has been rejected by the people of Bengal. So, listening to the people of Bengal, we joined another party, NCPI," she said.
In Durgapur, BJP leader Tej Narayan Pandey said BJP workers had gathered at the railway station and claimed that the situation had changed compared to previous years.
"Today, all of us Bharatiya Janata Party workers have gathered here at Durgapur station. As you may recall, throughout the history of the last 15 years, whenever BJP workers set out for Kolkata to carry out any party program, these people (Trinamool Congress), along with the administration and their army of goons, would forcibly remove our workers from the trains and subject them to atrocities," Pandey said.
He said BJP workers had arranged water bottles, biscuits and tea for TMC supporters travelling to Kolkata for the Martyrs' Day event.
"But today, you will witness the change and see why the BJP is called 'a party with a difference.' Look at our workers today--they have brought water bottles, biscuits, and tea for them (TMC supporters) so they can travel without any hardship. We want to ensure they face no trouble or discomfort on their journey, which is why we've arranged these refreshments," he said.
Pandey further claimed that the TMC had lost its ground in West Bengal.
"However, it is unfortunate that today I saw no Trinamool worker from Kalighat, nor any from the other side. The reality is that Trinamool has lost its ground. Their workers are dejected and hopeless. In the near future, you won't find a single person willing to raise the Trinamool flag in West Bengal," he said.
The TMC's Martyrs' Day event is being held amid heightened political activity in West Bengal, with the ruling party commemorating the 1993 police firing and Opposition parties using the occasion to target the state government and its handling of the event. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)