Latest news with #Martyrs'Day
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Bengal Cong leaders cautious over Mamata Banerjee's silent message from Martyrs' Day rally
Kolkata: After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave a subtle message to Congress by refraining from attacking it at Trinamool Congress' annual Martyrs' Day rally, the state leaders of the grand old party are treading cautiously, accepting this 'silence' as her 'initial friendly gesture', ahead of the 2026 state Assembly polls. At the same time, as regards the Chief Minister's war cry announcing sustained protests against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states, the Bengal Congress leaders are taking that war cry with a pinch of salt. They feel that before seeking Congress' support on this issue, the Chief Minister should elaborate on her government's plans to prevent such harassment by taking positive measures to arrest brain-drain and workers' migration from West Bengal to other states. On July 21, while addressing the annual Martyrs' Day rally, the Chief Minister launched a scathing attack against the BJP and CPI(M) and accused them of having a clandestine "understanding" in West Bengal. However, in her address, the Chief Minister carefully avoided her pet version of putting 'BJP-Congress-CPI(M)' within the same bracket in the West Bengal perspective, which she had done till the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. According to West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee leader Ashok Bhattacharya, it does not matter for the country's oldest national party whether the Chief Minister remains silent on it or not at the Martyrs' Day rally. 'First, the Chief Minister should make her stand clear on Congress both at the state level and the national level. She should explain why Trinamool Congress ensured BJP's victory in Assembly elections in certain other states like Goa and Tripura by dividing the anti-BJP votes,' Bhattacharya added. Former state Congress president and five-time former party Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too, feels that the Chief Minister's silence about Congress at the Martyrs' Day rally proves nothing, since there had been several instances in the past where she proved that "Trinamool Congress and BJP are made for each other". According to senior state Congress leader and party spokesman Soumya Aich Roy, while Congress unequivocally condemned the attack and harassment of Bengalis in BJP ruled states and also protested against it, the party's question for the Chief Minister is that what her government is doing to prevent such harassment by taking positive measures to arrest brain-drain and workers' migration from the West Bengal to other state. "Mamata Banerjee is trying to tap into the Bengali sentiment by bringing reference to Bhasa Andolan. Instead of doing this, she must provide jobs to the people so that this migration stops," he said.
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Police martyrs' families to boycott Aug 4 events
Families of police martyrs from Kohat, Bannu and Mardan regions have announced a complete boycott of the August 4 Martyrs' Day ceremonies, citing decades of neglect and broken promises by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Led by Muhammad Salman Khan, the families declared that they will stage a strong protest during the central event in Peshawar, where Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur is expected as the chief guest. The affected families, whose loved ones laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism, stated that from 1998 to 2024, not a single child of a martyr from their regions has been given employment. Speaking at a press conference held at the Peshawar Press Club, the children of the fallen officers, carrying portraits of their martyred fathers, stood in silent protest. Salman Khan lamented that while their elders gave their lives to defend the country, their children have been left without support, wandering the streets and facing rejection. The families expressed frustration that their children are growing older and are repeatedly told that they no longer qualify for employment due to age limits.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
How Martyrs' Day marked Mamata's rallying cry to defeat BJP in Bengal and beyond
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, in a powerful address at her party's flagship Martyrs' Day rally on July 21 in Kolkata, launched a combative attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of orchestrating a 'voter deletion' conspiracy to disenfranchise Bengali-speaking of a massive public uprising if such attempts were carried out in West Bengal, the chief minister alleged that the BJP had already removed over 4 million names in Bihar and now sought to replicate the exercise in her state. 'If you try that in Bengal, we will launch a gherao movement and a massive protest,' Mamata charged from the rally stage in the city's Dharmatala. 'We will not allow you to strike off names and push people into detention camps.'advertisementAccompanied by a thunderous applause from the crowd, Mamata declared the launch of 'Bhasha Andolan'—a campaign to defend Bangla language and identity. Beginning July 27, she announced, TMC workers will be holding weekend rallies and meetings to protest against what she described as the systemic targeting of Bengali-speaking people and mistreatment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states. 'If any migrant worker or their family says they are in trouble, stand by them and inform us,' Mamata urged party Martyrs' Day every year, the TMC commemorates the death of 13 people in police firing on July 21, 1993 during a protest being led by Mamata, then in the Congress. This year's rally, Mamata noted, witnessed a diverse gathering from all tiers of the party, including MPs, MLAs, grassroots leaders, panchayat members, families of martyrs—parents of Bitan Adhikari, who was killed in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and Jhantu Ali Sheikh, an Indian Army soldier killed in a counterterror operation in Jammu and Kashmir—and over 35 prominent sports the gathering was Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a Rajbanshi man from Cooch Behar who, despite residing in Bengal for five decades, had received a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-related notice from the Assam government. 'What right does the BJP have to do this?' Mamata asked, claiming persecution of the Matua invoked the killing of 13 protesters during the July 21, 1993 voter ID agitation and portrayed that struggle as a landmark victory for democracy. 'No ID, no vote—that was our call. Democracy won that day. But this struggle is not over,' she declared. 'We will continue until we change Delhi and give the BJP a political farewell.'Mamata alleged the Election Commission (EC) and the Narendra Modi government were working in tandem to systematically delete voters, especially Bengali speakers, under the guise of countering illegal immigration. She cited a recent notification directing states to set up holding centres for alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, calling it a move to intimidate people and erase their questioned the motive of the Union home ministry letter dated July 11, which instructs states to coordinate with central forces for voter verification. 'Why do we need central forces? The state police will work here. Guard your own borders, manage Kashmir first. If you think you can send people to jail for speaking Bengali, we are ready to die—but we won't let this happen,' she said. The chief minister also ridiculed the BJP's claim that 1.7 million Rohingyas reside in Bengal, countering it with UN figures and accusing the party of fabricating data to instill her government's performance, she listed a series of welfare schemes, including Khadya Sathi (free ration for 90 million people), Swasthya Sathi (health cards for every family), and Karmashree (employment for 7.7 million job card holders). She claimed that despite the Centre's decision to withhold MGNREGA funds, her government had created 830 million workdays Banglar Bari, 4.5 million homes had been built, she said, and another 1.6 million would be delivered by December. She cited schemes such as Shikshashree, Medhashree, Joy Johar and Tapasili Bandhu, and said her government had issued hundreds of thousands of land titles and constructed housing for minorities, tea garden workers and the urban allegations of youth migration due to unemployment, Mamata cited government data to argue that while 1.71 million people had left India between 2014 and 2025, no industrialist had left Bengal. 'In fact, they are coming because Bengal is doing well,' she accused the BJP of trying to appropriate Bengali culture and religious practices. 'You used to say we don't allow Durga Puja or Saraswati Puja. Now suddenly, you've remembered Ma Durga,' she said. Defending Bengal's pluralism, she added: 'We celebrate Christmas, Eid and all festivals. We respect all languages. Why then are you attacking Bengali? You think you can win hearts by speaking two words in Bengali from a teleprompter?'Pledging to escalate the resistance, Mamata called on TMC supporters to organise marches, meetings and sit-ins every weekend. 'Even if we are jailed, we will rise again as saplings and spread our roots in Delhi. You cannot stop us,' she said. And in a rallying cry for the assembly elections next year, she said, 'This time, we must win more seats. After that, Delhi will be our battlefield. The BJP must go. The people of Bengal will fight for their identity, for their language, and for justice.'Mamata's nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of suppressing democratic rights and denigrating Bengali culture. He hailed Mamata as a leader who had restored democracy in Bengal and said the highest-ever turnout at this year's Martyrs' Day rally was a testament to the Trinamool's growing strength, not in money or media power but grassroots the 2024 Brigade Cholo rally, Abhishek said it showcased Trinamool's unmatched organisational capacity. He accused the BJP of vandalising the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, mocking Rabindranath Tagore and insulting Bengal's culture. 'The BJP has only one identity—Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal),' he declared. 'Is it our crime to speak in Bengali? The more we speak in Bengali, the more they get irritated. Be proud to speak in Bengali.'Highlighting the BJP's shifting cultural posture, Abhishek claimed the party had been forced to abandon its chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' for 'Joi Ma Kali' and 'Joi Ma Durga' in Bengal. 'Mark my words,' he said, 'in just 10 months, I will make them say Joi Bangla after the 2026 elections.'Abhishek challenged Prime Minister Modi, Home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda to explain why no action had been taken against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly calling Bengali speakers 'Bangladeshi'. 'They're already cutting water and power in Jai Hind Colony in Delhi and attacking Bengalis elsewhere,' he alleged, adding that the TMC would resist any attempt to tamper with voter rolls and take to the streets if the EC and Enforcement Directorate as the BJP's twin instruments of suppression, Abhishek said they were being used to target Opposition leaders and disenfranchise citizens. 'But this land belongs to us. The certificate of citizenship will not be handed out by the PM or EC,' he said. Stressing on Bengal's inclusive ethos, he said non-Bengalis live peacefully in the state because it believes in unity in diversity. 'Those who play with fire will burn themselves,' he ended with a pledge: 'Let's see how much power they have. They want to send the people of Bengal to detention camps. We will put the BJP in a detention camp democratically in 2026.' His final words: 'Even if they slash our throats, we will say Joi Bangla and Trinamool Congress zindabad.'Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Cal HC judge praises city police for smooth traffic movement on TMC rally day
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Kolkata, Jul 22 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court has praised the city police for ensuring smooth traffic movement on the morning of July 21, the day the annual Martyrs' Day rally of the ruling Trinamool Congress was held. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, who had put restrictions on processions to the rally in the city between 8 am and 11 am on Monday, said that the roads were 'maintained well". He said on Monday that the police had ensured that traffic movement in the city was not hampered. The court, hearing a petition seeking that there is no disruption of traffic movement for the July 21 rally on Monday, had directed the Kolkata Police commissioner to ensure smooth traffic movement. Allowing processions for the Trinamool Congress' Martyrs' Day rally on July 21 in Kolkata, the court had directed that these would not be allowed between 8 am and 11 am. The court had directed that all processions within the Kolkata Police jurisdiction would be allowed till 8 am on July 21, and an hour would be granted thereafter for settling the crowd near Victoria House at Esplanade in the heart of the city. Justice Ghosh directed that from 9 am to 11 am, the police would ensure there was no traffic congestion on roads leading to the Calcutta High Court and within five km of the central business district in Kolkata. The processions would continue thereafter from 11 am, the court had directed. PTI AMR BDC view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 13:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BJP unleashing ‘linguistic terrorism' on Bengalis: Didi
KOLKATA: SETTING the Trinamool Congress' strategy for the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2026, party chief Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that 'harassment' of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states won't be tolerated and directed her party workers to launch a 'language movement' on July 27 which will continue till the polls are over. She also called for ousting the BJP-led government at the Centre after 2026. 'We will get more seats in 2026 and then Delhi will be our next target. We will have to remove the BJP from power,' she said, addressing the TMC's Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata. 'Our fight for identity and language will continue till the BJP is defeated, in the state and at the Centre. From July 27, we will launch a language movement against the BJP's terrorism on Bengali language. The movement will start on Nanoor Divas in West Bengal, protesting attacks on Bengalis and will continue till Assembly polls next year,' she said. Banerjee claimed that fearing development works in Bengal, the BJP is doing politics of deprivation. 'Why have they unleashed terrorism on Bengali language? Bengal fought for independence. The renaissance has come from Bengal. If people of Bengal are arrested outside for speaking Bengali, this fight will take place in Delhi,' the Chief Minister said.
