Mamata Banerjee to hold virtual Martyrs' Day Rally today
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold her party Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Martyrs' Day Rally digitally on Tuesday amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to the spread of the virus, the TMC has decided to go digital in holding the rally.
Mamata has instructed her party workers to pay tribute to the martyrs, who were killed in a firing on Jul 21, 1993, at their own booths.
We have been organising the annual rally since 1993 in memory of the martyrs. However, due to restrictions because of the pandemic situation, this year we are organising our annual July 21st #ShahidDibas rally in a different way (2/3)
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 21, 2020
The booth workers will pay their tributes to the martyrs at 1 pm and will get to hear Mamata's virtual address an hour later via online.
TMC leader Subrata Bakshi will pay tribute to the martyrs at Esplanade in downtown Kolkata which is the usual venue of the rally.
The TMC organises the Martyr's Day rally (which is called Shahid Diwas in Bengali) in remembrance of 13 people who had died in a shooting by police during a rally by the West Bengal Youth Congress-led by Mamata on Jul 21, 1993.
We have organised a unique booth level outreach programme across the State today from 1 PM. At 2 PM, I will be addressing my brothers and sisters in every booth. In July 2021 we will have the biggest ever programme after the people bless us again (3/3) pic.twitter.com/jfdgLblUq8
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 21, 2020
Mamata, who was then a Congress leader, had led the rally demanding voter's identity card as the required document for voting during the Left era.
Criticising the CM, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Dilip Ghosh has said the TMC has lost its moral right to hold the rally.
"Mamata Banerjee has gained political mileage from the rally. She is now running a dictatorship in the state much more than the one she had fought against during the Left regime," Ghosh said.
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