A group did not get permission for the Martyrs’ Day program to be held on July 21 in West Bengal. Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee called it fatal for democracy and said that the program will go ahead. He said that the venue and format will be decided soon.
Kolkata (West Bengal) [भारत]June 30 (ANI): West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday described the denial of permission for the July 21 Martyrs’ Day event as “fatal for democracy”. He stressed that despite the denial of permission, the event will take place and its venue and format will be decided soon.
Addressing a press conference here, Banerjee said her group was hopeful of getting permission from the Kolkata Police as the event was being organized for many years. He said, “This is fatal for democracy; since this is an event that has been happening for a long time, we had some expectations. We had applied to Kolkata Police for permission, hoping that it would be granted. However, permission was not granted and we believe this should not have happened.”
Permission canceled, group still adamant on organizing the program
Banerjee said her faction will hold the July 21 event, in which priority will be given to political workers and families of martyrs rather than celebrities. He said the venue and format would be decided by the party leadership. He said, “We will celebrate it, and celebrities and entertainers will not sit in the front rows; earlier, politicians used to sit in the very last rows, while families of martyrs were pushed back, and the front rows were left for celebrities. In our Trinamool, however, political workers and families of martyrs are given top priority. So, we will do the programme, but the question is how and where? The entire team Will sit down and decide the location and format.”
Targeted at Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen
Banerjee also took a dig at TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen and accused them of indulging in publicity-driven politics and gimmicks to remain in the headlines. He said, “There is a limit to gimmicks; sometimes the drama goes too far. If my memory is correct, Kunal Ghosh was on the stage last year. Before that, perhaps his name was not in the list. Has anyone ever seen Kunal Ghosh or Dola Sen walking around with a measuring tape on July 21? No one has seen such a thing. When one has to do anything just to be in the news – they do things like this. This is his habit.”
He also criticized “charter bureaucrats” and said, “As far as our MLAs are concerned, in the last two months, many have spent money from their own pockets to handle bail and other essential tasks for grassroots level workers; yet, during these two months, no one has seen this ‘charter bureaucrat’ anywhere. If we had to go to Delhi, we would not have flown in business class; we would have traveled in normal economy class like a common man. So, about this ‘charter bureaucrat’ who flies in chartered jets and now – two months later – has released this number: I think he probably does his politics from the comfort of his home.”
His comments come amid the ongoing dispute between two factions of the TMC, with both groups seeking permission to organize the annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally at Victoria House in the Esplanade area of Kolkata.
Second faction of TMC will go to court
Earlier in the day, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said his faction would move court after their application to hold the July 21 event was rejected. Describing the decision as “undemocratic”, he accused the government of attempting to suppress democratic opposition and said the party would fight both politically and legally. Kalyan Banerjee had said, “The application we made for July 21 has been rejected… We will challenge it in court; it is undemocratic,” adding that the event will take place on July 21, irrespective of the venue.
Mamta group raised questions
Earlier, TMC MP Dola Sen, representing the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, said the party has been observing Martyrs’ Day since 1994 in memory of 13 party workers killed in 1993. He questioned the move to organize a parallel event to the rival faction and said it had neither received approval regarding the party’s name and symbol nor permission to proceed. Sen also said that he has lodged a complaint with the cyber crime division in Lalbazar.
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has sought permission from the Kolkata Police Commissioner to hold the July 21 Martyrs’ Day event at Victoria House and has requested approval for arrangements from July 19 to 21, saying it wants to continue the long-standing tradition under the leadership of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (ANI)
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