The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) will hold its annual Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata today, July 21, with party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expected to hit out at the BJP over the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in the saffron party-ruled states.
Lakhs of TMC supporters from across the state have already arrived in the city for the rally. Besides Banerjee, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will be the key speaker at the rally.
The programme, held every year to commemorate the killing of 13 Youth Congress workers in a 1993 police firing, has grown into the party’s largest political event. This year’s rally holds significance as it is being seen as the launchpad for the TMC’s campaign for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
Banerjee is likely to sharpen her Bengali pride pitch, accusing the BJP of linguistic profiling and “criminalising poverty” in the name of national security.
The BJP, meanwhile, had dismissed the allegations as political posturing, blaming the TMC government for the chaos over the documentation of migrant workers and infiltration.
With political temperatures rising, all eyes will be on Banerjee’s speech, which is expected to set the tone for the TMC’s campaign for the 2026 state polls.