Trinamul Congress today organized a puja at the site opposite the CESC building on Chittaranjan Avenue where the stage for the Martyrs’ Day meeting scheduled to be held for 21 July will be set up.

Police had gunned down 13 Youth Congress supporters, who took part in the march to Writers’ Buildings demanding that voters’ identity cards should be made mandatory for the elections. Miss Mamata Banerjee was then the state Youth Congress president.

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After she formed Trinamul Congress in 1998, 21 July is observed as Martyrs’ Day.

Miss Banerjee will be the main speaker at the programme and the leaders are waiting anxiously to listen to her instructions. The party did well in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and bagged 29 seats. It won the by-election in four Assembly seats with a handsome majority. In 2025, there will be a civic election followed by an Assembly election in 2026.

Trinamul Congress being the second biggest party in terms of the number of MPs in the INDIA bloc, and the party is going to play a major role in national politics. She is likely to speak on national issues at the meeting and instruct the MPs as to how they should raise them in the Parliament.

Miss Banerjee has already asked the leaders to pull up their socks and build contacts with people. Actions have been taken against the leaders against whom allegations have been proved. Thousands of allegations against the leaders have reached her and she is not going to spare anyone who is involved in tarnishing the image of the party.

Party workers from distant districts of north Bengal will come to the city to take part in the rally. The outstation supporters will be put up at the Central Park in Salt Lake, Rajdanga stadium and other places. Party veterans will look after their food and hospitality.

Rallies will be taken out from Hazra Road, north Kolkata and Howrah and Sealdah stations. Ambulance and teams of doctors will be kept at strategic points.

Meetings are being held across the state to bring party supporters. Miss Banerjee will address the gathering between noon and 1pm.

Senior police officers, including the commissioner of police and senior Trinamul Congress leaders will inspect the construction of the stage. 21 July being a Sunday, people will not be badly hit. The party leaders clear the area and traffic movement along the Chittaranjan Avenue is restored by 5pm. The staff of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation will clear the garbage immediately after the programme is over.

A graded pathway will be created to ferry the leaders.

Meanwhile, Trinamul Congress has assigned Mr Saugata Roy to make a statement on the Kamarhati incident. Anyone making any statement on the matter will be considered to be anti-party activity.