Mammoth Rally at
Sahid Minar Maidan Warns TMC and BJP
Kolkata: IN another
sign of Left’s resurgence, tens of thousands of people marched into the heart
of Kolkata on December 16, at the call of CPI(M) North 24 Parganas district
committee. They came from faraway forest areas of Sundarbans, from working
class habitats of Barracpore industrial area, from middle class suburbs like
DumDum. With red flags held high, stream of humanity overflowed Sahid Minar
Maidan.
This was the fourth
large gathering by the Left in a fortnight in Kolkata. On December 2, thousands
rallied demanding interrogation of the chief minister in Saradha scam. On
December 6, another rally marched through the streets at the call of 17 Left
parties, denouncing communal forces. A militant gathering broke through police
barricade in a protest action on December 11. And, on the top of them, the
mammoth gathering in Sahid Minar, that too from a single district, has clearly
indicated towards the invincibility of red flag in West Bengal.
Undivided district of
24 Parganas, and now North 24 Parganas has been one of the strongholds of the
Left movement, carrying the legacy of many historic battles of the working
class and the peasantry. The political influence of the Left, the social -
cultural impact of the Communist movement runs through the veins of this
district. The Left activists and supporters in this district faced brutal
terror in the last three and half years and many areas were still ‘prohibited’
for them. CPI(M) district committee launched an intensive campaign for more
than one month in preparation for this historic rally. Hundreds of public
meetings took place in the entire district. Massive door to door campaign was
organised to put forward the political stand of the Party. The rally in Kolkata
was the successful culmination of this determined political mobilisation.
Addressing the rally
Biman Basu and Surjyakanta Misra called upon the people of the state to
intensify resistance against the onslaught of the TMC government in the state.
Biman Basu said that we did not favour implementation of Article 356 and,
instead would expose this anti-democratic, anti-people regime to its core. Surjyakanta
Misra referred to the TMC’s involvement in Saradha scam and said that Mamata
Banerjee and her government have brought shame for the state.
Both Basu and Misra
challenged the BJP and said that there were no forces on earth who could take
away red flags from the people of West Bengal.
CPI(M) district
secretary Gautam Deb had to address the gathering through video as he was
recuperating from a surgery. Deb denounced the designs of communal forces and
said the people of Bengal would never polarise on religious identity and would
fight anti-people policies unitedly.
Families of 19
martyrs were felicitated and monetary help was handed over to them in the
rally. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met the relatives of the martyrs and assured
them that the Party will always stand by them. The money was collected from
millions of households in North 24 Parganas.
The rally, as was
announced, marched towards the Nabanna, the state secretariat, led by a
delegation. The police blocked them and immediately roaring waves began to
sweep the barricades away. However, the CPI(M) leaders appealed to the people
for restraint and went to submit the deputation in the state assembly house to
senior cabinet ministers.
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