A sharp internal battle has broken out within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over ownership of the party's flagship July 21 Martyrs' Day programme in Kolkata, with both the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and a rebel camp separately approaching Kolkata Police for permission to hold the event at the same Esplanade venue in central Kolkata. The competing applications, filed within hours of each other on Saturday, 27 June, signal an unprecedented fracture in a party that has held this rally as its most symbolic annual gathering for over three decades.

Two Factions, One Venue

The rebel Trinamool Congress faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee — currently serving as Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly — sent a formal letter to Kolkata Police Commissioner on Saturday evening, requesting permission to organise the Martyrs' Day rally at Esplanade on 21 July. This came hours after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had already filed a similar application with the police for the identical location and date.

The rebel camp has explicitly claimed to be the 'real Trinamool Congress', setting the stage for a direct institutional confrontation over the party's identity and legacy.

What the Rebel Camp Said

Akhruzzaman, the Chief Whip of the rebel Trinamool faction in the state Assembly, took a pointed dig at the Mamata Banerjee camp. 'Those who cannot form a parliamentary party in the Assembly and do not have the numbers, will they observe July 21 again? We want to observe that day by bringing the families of martyrs. Until now, the real families of martyrs would have been lost in the crowd of heroes and heroines who annually graced the July 21 programme. This time, we want to pay our true respects to the families of the martyrs on that day,' Akhruzzaman said after a preparatory meeting held at a city hotel on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by approximately 50 former councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), indicating a degree of organisational groundwork by the rebel faction.

The Significance of July 21

The July 21 Martyrs' Day rally commemorates 13 people who were killed during a demonstration by the West Bengal Youth Congress — then led by Mamata Banerjee — on 21 July 1993. The event has since become the TMC's most emotionally charged annual programme, with Mamata Banerjee traditionally addressing a mass public gathering to mark the occasion.

During the party's years in Opposition under the Left Front government, the July 21 rallies drew enormous crowds and served as a barometer of the TMC's street strength. After more than 15 years in power in West Bengal, however, the party now finds itself in Opposition — and, reportedly, in disarray.

A Party in Disarray

The dual applications to police represent more than a scheduling dispute. They reflect a deeper contest over which group holds legitimate claim to the Trinamool Congress name, symbol, and political heritage. Notably, the rebel faction's assertion that the Mamata Banerjee camp lacks the numbers to form a parliamentary party in the Assembly points to the scale of defections that have reportedly reshaped the party's legislative standing.

This is the first time in the TMC's history that two factions have simultaneously staked a claim to the Martyrs' Day programme — a development that underscores how dramatically the party's internal dynamics have shifted. Kolkata Police's decision on which group — if either — receives permission is expected to become a flashpoint in the coming weeks.