Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said that, if needed, she will personally take part in the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party in the national capital.
She was speaking at the 21 July Martyrs’ Day event, observed annually to commemorate the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing in Kolkata in 1993 during a protest led by Banerjee against the Left Front government.
Due to the Kolkata police imposing prohibitory orders in the Esplanade area, the Trinamool Congress had to organise the rally near Birla Planetarium following an order of the Calcutta High Court.
“If need be, I will go to Delhi and take part in the protest. Our support to them was there from the beginning, and it will remain so. If we all hit the streets, BJP leaders will run away, as they ran away from here,” she said.
“Running a government requires discipline and adherence to democratic norms. Recent events in Delhi have shown how quickly situations can escalate during political confrontations. I have heard reports from Parliament that the circumstances became so tense that even the Prime Minister had to alter his plans. These developments remind us that stability and democratic conduct must always be protected. I want to make one thing clear: If injustice and intimidation continue, our movement will remain on the streets,” she said.
“People from Delhi to Kolkata have witnessed what happens when fear and intimidation become political tools. If they cannot win through democratic means, they try to silence voices through threats. But I ask them, how long can fear be used as a weapon? How many people can they continue to intimidate? Our leaders and workers have faced repeated harassment across different parts of the state,” she said.
In a message to the opposition parties, she said, “On Rabindra Jayanti, I made it clear that I have no personal ego or bitterness towards anyone. Across India, we fight together as part of the INDIA alliance, and we do the same in Bengal. My priority has never been personal rivalry; it has always been the protection of democracy and constitutional values.”
“I also want to caution those who believe they are safe simply because they can hold meetings or operate party offices today under political patronage. If democratic institutions continue to weaken, the consequences will not stop with one political party. I do not want democracy to be destroyed or undermined. If there is still a living conscience in society, then this is the time for everyone who believes in democratic principles to stand together,” Banerjee said.
She also took aim at TMC rebels: “I want to tell those who have spent years in the Trinamool Congress and later changed their stand that, one day, every mask will come off. The truth cannot remain hidden forever. People will ultimately recognise who stood with them during difficult times and who chose a different path when pressure mounted. Many have left because of fear – fear of the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, or the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). I have never seen the CID so active in my political life. Through different levels of the administration, thousands of cases have been filed against our leaders and workers. Around 40,000 cases have been registered against our party workers. It is almost unprecedented in scale.”