Mamata Banerjee to reach out to other states through Martyrs' Day rally today

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Banerjee will be holding her rally virtually though stages have been erected in all assembly constituencies of the state for smaller congregations.

The states where Banerjee's speech will be televised include Prime Minister Narendra Modi's backyard Gujarat, BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Assam along with Delhi and Tamil Nadu, which are ruled by the TMC's political friend Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and DMK respectively.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien Tuesday said some opposition leaders will be joining the rally virtually from Delhi. However, he didn't confirm any name.

Banerjee, who is aiming to play a national role after storming back to power in West Bengal for the third term this year, is expected to corner the BJP government at the Centre on a number of issues including COVID-19 management, fuel price hike and the very latest snooping.

"My heartfelt tribute to the 13 innocent lives that were lost on this day in 1993. I urge all my brothers & sisters to join me today at 2PM in a virtual meet to honor the brave souls. Our voices against those committing inhumane atrocities shall keep growing louder," the TMC supremo tweeted this morning.

TMC national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP, Abhishek Banerjee, tweeted, "The painful memories of 21st July, 1993 are still fresh in our minds. We can never forget the gross atrocities meted out to the 13 innocent souls by the erstwhile government. I pay my solemn tribute on #ShahidDibas to the heroes for their supreme sacrifice. Jai Hind! Jai Bangla!"

Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of Mamata Banerjee, had clearly stated he would aim to expand the TMC beyond West Bengal after assuming the party post.

The TMC number two man had said in a press conference Jun 7, "Within the next two-three weeks or maximum one month, we will come out with a concrete plan of what Trinamool wants to do and which are the states where we want to start our unit in and what is our expansion plan. But make no mistake, let me put this on record, when we come out with a plan, this attempt of Trinamool going national is going to be very different from what Trinamool had attempted in the past."

"If we go to any state, be it the smallest or largest, we will go not just to contest elections or to win one or two seats or to increase vote share but to win the state. We want to be the platform of choice to the people of that state. We don't want to exist in the form of Opposition or three-four-five MLAs. Whichever state we plan to start our unit in, we will take BJP head on," the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha MP added.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which is the only opposition force in West Bengal right now to reckon with, is holding sit-in protests at various of its offices against the alleged misrule by the TMC government and post-poll violence.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh is holding a sit-in protest at the party's national headquarters in New Delhi.

The TMC organises the Martyr's Day rally (which is called Shahid Diwas in Bengali) in remembrance of 13 people who were killed in a shooting by police during a rally by the West Bengal Youth Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, on Jul 21, 1993.

Banerjee, who was then a Congress member, was leading a rally demanding identity cards to be made mandatory for casting votes.