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Martyrs' Day rally: Bury differences and unite against BJP, Mamata tells INDIA bloc parties
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TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee during the Martyrs' Day programme organised by her faction, in Kolkata, on July 21, 2026. | The rally is held in memory of 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing on July 21, 1993, at a rally led by Ms. Banerjee (then with the Congress) during the Left Front regime.Addressing a gathering at Cathedral Road outside Birla Planetarium, Ms. Banerjee appealed to all INDIA bloc constituents, including the Congress and the CPI(M), in Bengal to bury their differences and unite against the BJP. “I appeal to every political force in Bengal that is opposed to the BJP. Come together, unite, and prepare for the democratic struggle ahead. I have no objection if everyone stands together for this cause,” she said.Backs CJPThe Trinamool Congress chairperson also expressed support to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that he turned his car and drove away after a section of CJP protesters neared the Parliament complex on Monday. “You saw what happened in Delhi yesterday [Monday], an atrocity committed against students. I heard from Parliament that the PM turned his car and ran away,” she said. Ms. Banerjee said that she will go to Delhi and join the CJP protest if required.While extending an olive branch to the other Opposition parties, the former West Bengal Chief Minister also drew a firm line against rebels within her own party, saying “traitors” would never be taken back. “I challenge the traitors to directly join the BJP and fight elections...Those thieves have gone to the BJP. I will never take them back,” Ms. Banerjee said.Describing herself as the founder chairperson of the party, Ms. Banerjee said that nobody can snatch away the party symbol from her.The former Chief Minister was joined by party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and senior party leaders Kalyan Banerjee, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay and Kunal Ghosh, among others.Breakaway group’s rallyThe breakaway Trinamool group led by Ritabrata Banerjee held a Martyrs’ Day rally at Mayo Road in Kolkata. Rebel leaders Madan Mitra and Firhad Hakim also spoke at the gathering, particularly about how Ms. Banerjee had not revealed the report of the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission on the July 21, 1993 police firing. The report was made public by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in the Assembly on Monday.The rebels accused Ms. Banerjee of favouring Mr. Abhishek Banerjee over other leaders in the party and said that it led to the downfall of her party. “In her rally [Mamata Banerjee], the martyrs’ families used to sit in the background, and celebrities used to take centre stage. She should have remembered that these celebrities did not make her a leader,” Mr. Mitra said.While the number of MLAs present at the venue was higher than those assembled on Cathedral Road, the crowd at the venue was significantly thinner than the gathering at Ms. Banerjee’s rally.‘Only Cong. can fight BJP’The rally organised by the Congress to observe the Martyrs’ Day was held at Shahid Minar Ground in Kolkata. Five-term Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, Congress leader Deepa Dasmunshi, and Lok Sabha MP Isha Khan Chowdhury were among those who addressed the rally. The Congress venue had some photos of Ms. Banerjee as a Youth Congress leader.Mr. Chowdhury said the only Congress can fight the BJP. He alleged that in the past, the Mamata Banerjee government had not allowed the Congress to hold Martyrs’ Day rallies. Published - July 21, 2026 04:19 pm IST
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. File | S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has condemned the “coercive measures” allegedly being taken by the government against Amaravati farmers, and said they reflected the “authoritarianism and inhuman” treatment of the land-givers.In a social media post on Saturday (July 11, 2026), Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said though the farmers had expressed their willingness to give up their lands, which serve as the sole source of livelihood for their families, the government refused to even hear their views or objections.అమరావతి రాజధాని పేరుతో ఉండవల్లిలో రైతులపై చంద్రబాబు ప్రభుత్వం సాగించిన రాక్షసకాండను తీవ్రంగా ఖండిస్తున్నాను. తమ కుటుంబాలకు జీవనాధారమైన కొద్దిపాటి భూములను ఇచ్చేది లేదని రైతులు స్పష్టంగా చెబుతున్నా, వారి అభిప్రాయాలను, అభ్యంతరాలను కనీసం వినకుండా పోలీసులను మోహరించి, బుల్డోజర్లతో… pic.twitter.com/rA7pC3hXRS— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) July 11, 2026He said that, instead, the government had deployed a heavy police force, sent bulldozers into their fields, destroyed standing crops and intimidated the farmers by dragging them out of their own fields.Those who voluntarily gave up their lands earlier had been left without proper justice or support, he said, and he vowed to stand firmly with the farmers, demanding that the government refrain from acquiring even a cent of land without the farmers’ consent. Published - July 12, 2026 12:24 pm IST
Telangana Congress working president T. Jagga Reddy strongly backed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s early preparations for the next Assembly elections, saying the CM had already begun implementing a strategy aimed at winning 117 Assembly seats in Telangana.In an interaction with reporters, Mr. Jagga Reddy said the Congress leadership was united behind Mr. Revanth Reddy’s vision and decisions. “The Chief Minister has started his game plan for the elections. His strategies are aimed at ensuring the Congress returns to power with a stronger mandate,” he said, adding that party leaders shared a common understanding of Mr. Revanth Reddy’s political approach.The Chief Minister had every right to take decisions necessary to secure a second consecutive term for the Congress government, he said. He asserted that no sitting MLA should assume a ticket was guaranteed, remarking that in politics no individual remained indispensable forever. The final decision on selection of candidates would rest with the Chief Minister, the TPCC president and the AICC in-charge.Mr. Jagga Reddy reiterated that he had only stated he would not contest from Sangareddy and had never ruled out contesting from another constituency. On speculation over a possible contest against senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao, he said he was prepared to contest from Siddipet if directed by the Congress high command.He dismissed the significance of political surveys, saying every agency conducted surveys favourable to its own interests and there was no need for party workers to worry about such reports being claimed by the BRS. Published - July 11, 2026 01:26 pm IST
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