Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced the Trinamool Congress's "patriotic" rallies in every block and every ward of Bengal between 3pm and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, in an apparent bid to steal the BJP's Tiranga Yatra thunder, in the wake of a political lull in the state since Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor.
Trinamool sources said the chief minister wholeheartedly agreed with internal feedback on the need to enhance visibility of the party even while usual politics remained on hold in Bengal, more so after the BJP decided to reach out to the grassroots to celebrate the success of the Narendra Modi government and the armed forces in executing Operation Sindoor.
Addressing the media at Nabanna, Mamata said: "Our party will organise rallies on Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 5pm. It is being done to express solidarity with our jawans and offer condolences for the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation."
"If needed, we will visit their families and offer our condolences. We do not see this matter politically, it is our social responsibility," she added. "Neither did I make any political statement, nor did I allow anyone from my party or the state government to comment politically on this."
Not long before her announcement, instructions went out in writing from Trinamool state president Subrata Bakshi to the leadership in the districts and urban centres for conduct of the "patriotic" rallies. The main message of the exercise would be to declare love for the country, respect for martyrs and make the nation's secular ideals a priority. The programmes would seek to create an atmosphere of patriotism through songs, banners, national flags, slogans and cultural performances.
The party's national leadership later announced that similar programmes would be held in areas where the party had some presence in Assam and Tripura on Saturday and Goa on Monday.
"It is our responsibility to offer tribute to our brave soldiers who gave their lives for our nation. These rallies would be held across the state, and we will pay our respects in every block (in rural areas) and ward (in urban areas)," said Mamata, whose party had been uncomfortably inactive since the suspension of routine politics of the state since the Pahalgam terror attack, more so since Operation Sindoor.
The chief minister issued several patriotic statements, pledging solidarity with the nation and its armed forces. Her nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee did so too. But the party's inaction on the ground was making many grassroots leaders jittery.
"There was a sense of uncertainty about the political fallout of the goings-on of the past three weeks. She (Mamata) was constantly getting internal feedback, but had clearly stated that she would decide on the next course of action when the time was right," said a source in the ruling party.
"When the Tiranga Yatra was announced, and the BJP's plans became clearer, she decided that no time ought to be wasted at this crucial juncture," he said, adding that Mamata might personally attend the main rally in the city. "It is a highly emotive issue that the BJP cannot be allowed to monopolise."
The BJP's Suvendu Adhikari said Tiranga Yatra — a pan-India exercise that began on Tuesday and would end on May 23 — would be conducted down to the gram panchayats in keeping with instructions from the national leadership. A Tiranga Yatra will take place in Calcutta on Friday.
A source said the BJP aims to optimally use Operation Sindoor to its advantage in the run-up to the crucial Assembly election next summer.
"Preliminary estimates suggest the bump of four per cent or so (in vote share) that we need to overthrow Mamata, which seemed difficult even a month ago, could well have been achieved. Irrespective of what she does now, this credit will be impossible for her to steal," he said.
