All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday, 27 June wrote to the Kolkata Police seeking permission to hold its annual July 21 Martyrs' Day rally at Esplanade in central Kolkata — a programme the party has organised at the same venue for over two decades. The letter marks a significant moment for the party, which is navigating a serious internal split following a change of government in West Bengal.

The Rally Request and Its Significance

The party has sought clearance to hold the commemoration in front of Victoria House at Esplanade, consistent with its longstanding tradition. This year, the event is being organised under the banner 'We are not dishonest' — a pointed message amid the ongoing factional turmoil within the organisation.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has publicly declared her intent to attend regardless of turnout. 'Even if there were only five workers, she would go to the meeting,' she reportedly told party workers at a recent internal gathering, signalling her determination to keep the annual event alive as a symbol of organisational continuity.

The Fractured Party Landscape

The rally request comes at a moment of acute political crisis for Trinamool. Following the change of government in West Bengal, a majority of TMC legislators in the state Assembly have reportedly aligned with Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, with the rebel bloc claiming to represent the 'real' Trinamool. Several long-time loyalists of Mamata Banerjee have also joined the breakaway camp, which has formed its own working committee.

At present, only a small number of senior leaders remain with Mamata Banerjee's faction. According to observers in political circles, the Esplanade rally has taken on outsized importance — seen by some as the last major organisational tool available to Mamata Banerjee to reassert her hold over the party's grassroots base.

Mamata Banerjee's Message to Rebels

Addressing party workers, Mamata Banerjee appealed to those who had defected, saying that 'those with good sense should return.' She also reportedly warned that those who had left would find themselves 'neither here nor there' and that the party could not 'be sold for the sake of money,' according to accounts from the meeting.

The remarks underline the increasingly personal and ideological framing Banerjee is applying to the split — positioning herself as the custodian of the party's founding identity against what she characterises as opportunism.

What Happens Next

The critical question now is whether the Kolkata Police grants permission for the rally. A denial — or a rival application from the rebel faction — could further complicate the political picture ahead of 21 July. Political analysts in the state suggest that the scale of attendance at the Esplanade event, if permitted, will serve as a live barometer of how much organisational strength Mamata Banerjee retains on the ground.