Why are rival Trinamool Congress factions competing to hold the July 21 Martyrs’ Day Rally? | Explained
The Hindu – National
thehindu.comSummary
Subscribed with another email? The Trinamool Congress was formed by Mamata Banerjee after she left the Congress party in 1998. The Congress party has been allocated space at Shahid Minar grounds. Finally, on July 15, it was decided that Mamata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress will hold the rally next to Birla Planetarium in Maidan area of the city. So, three different rallies, two by Trinamool factions and one by the Congress party will be held in Kolkata in a stretch of about two kilometres, on July 21. Those who were killed on July 21, 1993 were youth Congress workers. The Congress party would observe Martyrs’ Day but in a low-key manner. Now that the Trinamool Congress is facing its biggest existential crisis, the Congress has stepped up its campaign for the Martrys’ Day rally push. West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, went to the extent of calling Mamata Banerjee to join the Congress event, provided she apologises for leaving the grand old party almost three decades ago. The Congress party, whose vote share in West Bengal has been around 5%, and is hoping for a revival, will have to draw people out of their homes to hear Subhankar Sarkar and other Congress leaders speak on July 21.
From the source
For more than three decades, the Martyrs’ Day rally in West Bengal has been synonymous with Mamata Banerjee. This year, rival Trinamool factions and the Congress are competing to claim its political legacy
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Published by The Hindu – National on thehindu.com

