The CPM’s youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), on Saturdaystaged a public rally at the Textile College More in Behrampore, Murshidabad, after the government denied the event a venue.
Addressing the 15,000-plus crowd, DYFI state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee accused the government of blocking access to the original venue as it “wanted to silence us”. “The state government became afraid and refused approval for the FUC ground. So, we took up the challenge and brought our meeting to the streets,” she said to cheers.
The rally marked the start of the DYFI’s 20th state conference. The gathering brought traffic on three arterial roads to a standstill for two hours, but the police and civil administration refrained from further objections.
Minakshi said the government feared the youths would raise uncomfortable questions about Bengal farmers not receiving fair prices for crops, jobless youths struggling for opportunities and migrant workers being beaten up in other states. “They wanted to silence us, but their conspiracy failed,” she said.
Murshidabad CPM district secretary Jamir Molla said the administration’s refusal to permit events of the Opposition showed it was afraid to face the public.
The DYFI formally applied to the additional district magistrate (land and land reforms) on May 21 for the FUC ground. After nearly a month of silence, the administration denied permission on Friday, forcing the organisation to shift the rally to the road. Indoor sessions on Sunday and Monday are set to be held at the town’s Rabindra Sadan.
Referring to the DYFI’s active presence during the Covid-19 lockdown, Minakshi said: “Our activists never stay in their comfort zones.From Jhargram to Darjeeling, people saw us beside them.We don’t just stand by the people — we raise our voice for them to ensure their rights and demands.”
She accused both the BJP and the TMC of trying to incite violence between Hindus and Muslims to disrupt Bengal’s harmony. Referring to the Murshidabad violence, she alleged: “It was a planned riot, a conspiracy. A father and son kept calling the police for four hours before being killed, but there was no response.”
She urged youths to reject divisive politics and defend communal unity. “We won’t allow Ram and Rahim to be separated. We will live together,” she said.
CPM state secretary Md Salim, DYFI nationalpresident and Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim and DYFI state secretary Himagnoraj Bhattacharya also addressed the rally.
Salim demanded a judicial inquiry into the recent Murshidabad riots, alleging that the violence was orchestrated to divide Hindu and Muslim votes ahead of the 2026 Assembly election.
“If it had been a real riot, it wouldn’t have remained limited to Samserganj. This was a planned act. Only a judicial probe can expose the truth,” he said.
Rahim trained guns at the Bengal government over corruption.
“No other state in India has witnessed as many scams as Bengal — be it in recruitment or ration. In Kerala, ourLeft government gives jobs to lakhs through the Public Service Commission without scandal. But here, scams have become a natural phenomenon. Even Bengal’s youth are migrating to Kerala for work,” he said.