All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has called for a mass gathering in Kolkata on 21 July for the party's annual Martyrs' Day rally, even as the party grapples with a deepening internal rebellion that has left its state organisation in visible disarray. The call came during a 12-minute address Mamata delivered to party workers via phone at a meeting held at Rammohan Library in North Kolkata on Thursday.

The Call to Gather

The North Kolkata Trinamool District President Kunal Ghosh convened the pro-Mamata meeting at Rammohan Library. Mamata, speaking through Kunal's phone, said she hopes to secure the necessary permission for the 21 July rally and pledged to be present regardless of turnout. 'Even if there are five workers, she will be in that meeting,' she reportedly told those assembled, urging all party workers across the state to stand united.

Political observers note that while the address was technically to a North Kolkata committee gathering, Mamata's real audience was the broader state organisation — a signal to rank-and-file workers not to abandon ship amid the factional turbulence.

The Significance of July 21

The Martyrs' Day rally on 21 July is among the most symbolically charged events in the TMC calendar. It commemorates 13 people killed during a demonstration by the West Bengal Youth Congress — then led by Mamata Banerjee herself — on 21 July 1993. During the years of Left Front rule, the rally drew enormous crowds and served as a barometer of Mamata's mass mobilisation power. After over 15 years in power, the TMC now finds itself in opposition, and the scale of this year's gathering is being watched closely as a test of the party's remaining street strength.

Legal Cloud Over the Rally

A public interest litigation (PIL) has already been filed in the Calcutta High Court, alleging that the TMC's 21 July 2018 Martyrs' Day meeting was held in violation of a High Court order. The court has since issued notices to Mamata Banerjee and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the matter, adding a legal dimension to the political pressure the party already faces.

Mamata Strikes Back at Rebels and the ED

Mamata used the Rammohan Library address to launch pointed attacks on multiple fronts. Without naming him directly, she targeted Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who has led a breakaway faction in the state Assembly with the support of over 60 MLAs and now serves as Leader of the Opposition. Mamata described him as a 'BJP-sponsored CPIM leader,' adding that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) did 'one good thing' by expelling him.

She also raised the issue of Abhishek Banerjee being summoned by both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), saying: 'Imagine what is happening to their family.' She noted that Abhishek's parents live with her and that he is now required to appear in court regularly while facing summons from both agencies. She added that she had 'already thrown out her two brothers,' drawing a distinction between loyalty and family ties.

Addressing the rebel camp in Parliament and the state Assembly, Mamata issued a pointed warning: those with 'common sense should return,' and those who continue on their current path 'will be neither here nor there.'

What Comes Next

The 21 July rally will serve as a crucial litmus test for Mamata Banerjee's hold over the TMC's grassroots base at a moment when the party's legislative wing is fractured. Whether the emotional pull of Martyrs' Day can override factional loyalties — and whether the Calcutta High Court grants the necessary permission — will determine the rally's scale and its political message.