'Let us work towards strengthening the federal structure of this nation'

Kolkata: Twenty-four years after Mamata Banerjee formed the Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998, to unseat the Left Front from power in West Bengal, her party has transcended the geographical boundaries of the eastern state and now attempts to expand its footprint across the country to pose a direct challenge to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

With the Congress in shambles, the TMC, which Banerjee floated after quitting the Congress, is attempting to carve out a niche of its own and make an impact.

At the same time, the party is positioning itself as the only outfit to oppose the saffron camp tooth and nail, after its landslide victory in this year's Assembly elections in Bengal despite the BJP's massive campaign to unseat her from power.

Mamata Banerjee on Saturday congratulated TMC workers on her party's foundation day and vowed to strengthen the federal structure of the country.

"On #TMCFoundationDay, I extend my best wishes to all our workers, supporters and members of the Maa-Mati-Manush family. Our journey began on January 1st, 1998 and since then we have been committed in our efforts towards serving people and ensuring their welfare," she said on Twitter.

"As we step into yet another year, let us promise to stay united in our fight against all injustices. Let us treat each other with kindness and respect. Let us work towards strengthening the federal structure of this nation. I thank you all for your blessings," she wrote on the microblogging site.

The party's all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee tweeted: "On #TMCFoundationDay, I salute all our workers for their diligence in upholding the values of the @AITCofficial family. Thank you for finding the courage to fight those that dare to abuse our basic rights. Let us remain committed towards serving the people of this great nation."

The party flag was hoisted at Trinamool Bhavan by state president Subrata Bakshi in presence of MP Dola Sen and other senior leaders. The party observed its foundation day by holding various programmes, small street corner meetings adhering to Covid protocols to mark the occasion in all the 342 blocks across the state. The various achievements by the Mamata Banerjee government were highlighted through these programmes.

Partha Chatterjee, the secretary general of TMC, penned the editorial of Jago Bangla – TMC's mouthpiece and wrote on how the party's organisational strength has become extremely strong in Bengal with people of the state extending full support to TMC.

He further added that under the leadership of Banerjee backed by the efforts of party's all India general secretary, TMC has started to spread its wings and develop organisational strength in Tripura, Meghalaya, Haryana and Goa.

The All India Trinamool Congress uploaded a short video on its Facebook page containing several national leaders' comments describing Banerjee as the strongest force to take on the BJP at the Centre.