Abhishek to address rally in Shyamnagar today
KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders supervised the last minute arrangement to hold a mammoth rally to be addressed by party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at Shyamnagar on Monday.
Senior police officials inspected the site and examined the security arrangements. TMC leaders, including Saugata Roy, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Bratya Basu, Madan Mitra, Partha Bhowmick, Manju Basu, and other MLAs held a meeting to make the rally a grand success. Arjun Singh, MP from Barrackpore who recently rejoined TMC, had attended the meeting. Pawan Singh, Arjun's son, BJP MLA from Bhatpara is likely to join Trinamool at Abhishek's rally.
A massive 60-feet long stage has been built. Annapurna Cotton Mill ground, where the stage has been set up, is situated on the eastern side of Shyamnagar Railway station. Trinamool banners, posters and cut outs have been put up along Kalyani Expressway, Ghoshpara Road and BT Road.Barrackpore industrial belt was the fiefdom of CPI(M) since Left Front came to power in 1977. In 2009, Dinesh Trivedi of TMC defeated Tarit Topdar of CPI(M) in Lok Sabha election. Trivedi also won 2014 Lok Sabha election and lost to Arjun Singh in 2019 Lok Sabha poll. There has been a massive erosion in the vote bank of CPI(M) and BJP in the Barrackpore industrial belt over the years. TMC has established its control in Bhatpara, Kakinara, Bijpur, Kamarhati and Panihati.
Banerjee's meeting is politically important as he has become a youth icon and young people in great numbers have joined Trinamool Youth Congress. Banerjee keeps tab over all the district committees of Trinamool as well as Trinamool Youth Congress. Trinamool's main target is 2023 Panchayat election and 2024 Lok Sabha election. In Haldia, Banerjee had said on Saturday that the party would not listen to the diktats of the contractors. Banerjee is likely to reach the meeting at 3pm on Monday and party leaders have to wait for his instructions and guidelines, which he is likely to give from the dais.
