Senior West Bengal Minister and TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has termed the upcoming ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally, organised by the student group Chhatra Samaj, as “illegal” and accused the event of attempting to stir widespread unrest in Kolkata.
The rally, scheduled for Tuesday, demands the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at R G Kar hospital.
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During a press conference on Monday, Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed that the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally was organized without police permission, suggesting it is part of an agenda by certain elements to disrupt the state’s peace and stability. Accompanied by TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Joyprakash Majumdar, Bhattacharya highlighted that the investigation into the rape and murder of the doctor has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), dismissing the demands for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation as politically driven.
“The call for this rally has been given on social media by Chhatra Samaj, which has not intimated police about their plans. We all want justice for the victim and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. The case has been handed over to the CBI and the demand for the resignation of the CM is politically motivated,” she said, PTI reported.
“What these people – mostly right-wing forces like RSS and ABVP as well as some leftists backed by CPIM – really want is clear from these videos. They want deaths. We have information that people from outside the state are also being brought to foment unrest during the rally. We have also learnt some people in the rally will be wearing police uniforms and fire on people to shift the blame on the police,” he said.
Echoing Bhattacharya’s stance, Kunal Ghosh questioned the rationale behind the rally’s decision to march to Nabanna, the state secretariat, instead of heading to the CBI office, where the investigation is ongoing.
Ghosh presented videos he claimed showed individuals advocating for violence to ensure the rally’s success, which he associated with right-wing groups and some leftist factions, including the CPI(M). He cautioned about potential disruptions, suggesting that outsiders might be brought in and that some individuals could disguise themselves as police to incite violence and then blame the police.
In response, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya denied any party involvement in the rally, stating that if any BJP members participate, it would be in their personal capacity. He emphasized that the BJP is not officially organizing the march.
CPI(M) leader Satarup Basu criticized the TMC’s claims as a sign of fear and desperation. He accused the TMC of panicking in response to growing spontaneous protests and affirmed that the CPI(M) supports peaceful, democratic demonstrations against the alleged misrule of the ruling party.
“We have repeatedly said BJP and right-wing organisations are behind the August 27 rally and none of the Left organisations will participate,” Basu said.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has clarified that it did not initiate the call for the march but expressed its support for democratic movements.