Only TMC can stand tall in the face of adversity: Mamata
Kolkata: Amid the torrential downpour on Sunday afternoon, a rain-soaked Mamata Banerjee, while addressing her party workers gathered for the Martyrs’ Day event at Esplanade, roared from the dais that it is only Trinamool Congress (TMC) which can stand tall in the face of adversity which in this case was braving the inclement weather.
Banerjee’s words had quite an apparent effect on the party workers who refused to budge from their spot despite heavy rain. For them, the party’s supremo’s assurances and promises were like a ray of hope in the gloom of monsoon. It was stated by some of the veteran party workers that there has not been a single instance where it did not rain during the Martyrs’ Day event. When the rain stopped for a moment, Banerjee said the rain had stopped but her speech will continue. After the initially uncomfortable warm weather, heavy rainfall had hit different parts of Kolkata, including Esplanade. Fighting against all odds, the supporters and workers remained undeterred as they flocked in groups to cheer the party leaders. Thousands of TMC workers and supporters with party flags moved towards Esplanade from different pockets of the city and districts across the state on Sunday to celebrate the Martyrs’ Day. The workers were seen wearing party symbol t-shirts and masks with Banerjee’s face printed. Special yellow sarees were made for women party workers with the slogan “Shahid er rakto hobe nako byartho” (Martyrs’ blood will not go to waste). Further, there was a display of cultural performances such as folk dance, among others.
Arrangements, including medical camps, water stations, food distribution and ambulances were kept ready to ensure that people do not face any problem. During the event when a person fell ill, Banerjee assured the gathering from the dais that he will be taken care of and asked one of his companions to accompany him in the ambulance to the hospital. Workers and supporters of the party from districts including Nadia, Bankura, Burdwan, Hooghly and Howrah, amongst others, had started reaching the Esplanade area by 5:30 am to attend the rally and listen to party leader Mamata Banerjee. The crowd in the area began increasing around 10 am with more people joining the meeting from different wards in the city. The entrance to New Market was flooded with people waiting to watch the top leaders of the party speak from the stage at Dharmatala on giant LED screens, which like last year, were placed at different points between Park Street and Esplanade. These spaces were observed by the Kolkata Police officials as well as the volunteers scattered in the area to avoid occurrence of any unpleasant event.
After attending the rally, many people who came from districts, said they would want to visit popular spots in the city, including Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial, Zoological Garden in Alipore, Maidan and Princep Ghat amongst other places. The Martyrs’ Day, also known as Shahid Diwas, has been celebrated ever since TMC came to power in 2011 by putting an end to the Left Front government’s 34 year-rule. It is an annual mass rally organised by Trinamool to commemorate the death of 13 Youth Congress activists who were shot by the police in the city in 1993 during their rally in demand of making voter identity cards the sole mandatory document for voting.
