Martyrs' Day Rally: Abhishek sets poll tone: ‘BJP forced to chant Joy Bangla, now lotus will be uprooted from Bengal'
Addressing the TMC's mega annual Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata's Dharamtala area, Abhishek said the decision to call the BJP a 'Banglar Birodhi' (anti-Bengal) party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was to 'expose' its true character.
'Jonotar Gorjon, Bangla-Birodhider Bishorjon (the cry of people, immersion of anti-Bengal party) wasn't just a political slogan but the exposure of BJP's real character,' he said.
Taking forward party supremo and aunt Mamata Banerjee's offensive against the main Opposition party in the state over the harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, the Diamond Harbour MP said: 'The BJP wants to take Bengalis to detention camps for speaking their language. I want to tell them clearly — after the 2026 elections, it is you whom we will send to the detention camps after defeating you democratically.'
Without taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name, he said BJP leaders who used to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan are now saying 'Jai Ma Durga', 'Jai Ma Kali' under pressure.
Last week, PM Modi at a BJP rally in Durgapur began his speech by invoking Goddesses Durga and Kali.
'This is the victory of the Trinamool Congress. This is the victory of the people of Bengal. The very people of Bengal whom they wanted to starve, the BJP leaders are now bowing before them and chanting Joy Maa Kali and Joy Maa Durga. This is the victory of 12 crore farmers, labourers, youth, adivasis and the victory of the culture and heritage of Bengal.'
'They (the BJP government at the Centre) used Income Tax to target Durga Puja committees and stop Durga Puja. They insulted Durga Puja, and now in this very land of Bengal, they have to stand and say Joy Maa Durga, instead of Jay Shri Ram. Mark my words, in 10 months, they will have to chant 'Joy Bangla',' the 37-year-old MP from Diamond Harbour said.
He also accused the BJP of insulting the Bangla language and Bengal, 'which showed the way to the country during the freedom struggle and the renaissance'.
'Our poets and legends, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, gave a face to the soul of the country through their works. The freedom fighters of Bengal like Rash Behari Bose, Bagha Jatin, and Khudiram Bose set an example with their fight not only in Bengal but across the Indian subcontinent. But the BJP insults the language they spoke,' Abhishek said to huge applause.
He also lashed out against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly targeting Bengali-speaking citizens in his state and calling them Bangladeshis. 'A fortnight has passed since the Assam CM, sitting on an elected Constitutional chair, spoke against Bengalis. I want to know what disciplinary steps the BJP central leaders have taken against him. I appeal to our MPs to speak in Bengali in the current Parliament session, if required, and dare them to silence us,' he said.
'Why is the BJP so irritated if someone speaks Bengali? Is it because they couldn't win in Bengal? Bengalis take immense pride in their mother tongue and should enhance the frequency of speaking in Bangla manifold… You (BJP) think you can bend the TMC and people of Bengal according to your will? We were born in Bengal, not in Gujarat or UP, and we will neither bow before you nor sell our spines or surrender,' he added.
Maintaining that Bengal doesn't discriminate among citizens of this country on the grounds of religion, language, food habits or customs, the TMC leader warned that if the divisive powers wanted to play with fire, then they would be the first to get smouldered by the flames. 'Do not suffer from the complacency that Trinamool will win no matter what because we have Mamata Banerjee to lead us. Of course, she will guide us. But you have to fight the battle on the ground and ensure that you do not concede an inch of land to those who have continuously hurt our self-respect,' Banerjee told party workers.
Asserting that the TMC will come to power in West Bengal for the fourth consecutive term, the TMC leader, referring to BJP's poll symbol, the lotus, said: 'Before 2021 (Assembly polls), we used the slogan of 'Khela Hobe' (the game is on). This time we are saying, 'Poddo Phool Upre Fela Hobe' (the lotus flower will be uprooted).'
(With PTI Inputs)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Hospital owner stabbed to death in Haryana's Jind; 12th murder in district since June 20
A private hospital owner and the son of a local BJP leader was brutally stabbed to death by unidentified assailants on Rampura Road in Jind's Safidon town late Thursday night, police said on Friday. This marks the 12th murder in the district since June 20, when a liquor contractor was killed. The deceased has been identified as Vikas Sharma, son of Shiv Sharma, a former block president of the BJP in Jind district.(HT Photo) The deceased has been identified as Vikas Sharma, son of Shiv Sharma, a former block president of the BJP in Jind district. According to Safidon police station SHO Dinesh Kumar, the incident occurred when Anil Sharma, another hospital owner, along with his brother-in-law Happy, visited Vikas at his hospital and persuaded him to accompany them to Assandh. While returning, their vehicle was intercepted by two cars carrying 7–8 unidentified men. 'When Vikas asked the driver to keep going, the group blocked the vehicle, surrounded it, and attacked him with knives. Anil Sharma and Happy were also injured in the attack, though only mildly,' said the SHO. The injured were taken to a hospital in Panipat, where doctors declared Vikas Sharma dead on arrival. Vikas's father, Shiv Sharma, alleged that the murder was part of a conspiracy orchestrated by Anil Sharma. He demanded the immediate arrest of Anil, his brother-in-law, and others involved, warning of a protest if action was not taken within 24 hours. Safidon BJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam met the bereaved family and assured them that the culprits would be brought to justice. Police have registered a murder case against Anil Sharma, Happy, and seven unidentified persons. Three teams have been formed to investigate and apprehend the accused. The motive for the attack is still under investigation. Following the incident, opposition leaders sharply criticised the Nayab Singh Saini-led government over the deteriorating law and order situation in Haryana. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the murder, calling it a reflection of 'unrestrained mafia rule' in the state. 'The public has lost trust in the rule of law,' he posted on X. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the murder of a BJP leader's son highlights the alarming state of law and order in Haryana. 'If the families of BJP leaders aren't safe under their own government, what hope do ordinary citizens have?' he asked. Hooda also referred to a recent case in Rohtak, where a woman's mutilated body was found, as further evidence of rising crime. Hooda further stated that since the BJP came to power, the crime graph has soared and criminals appear to be operating with impunity. Citing the Social Progress Index (SPI) report by the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, he said Haryana has been labelled the most unsafe state in the country. Elderly man killed in Jhajjar A 70-year-old farmer was killed with an iron object by his elder brother's grand-son in Jhajjar at Sulodha village on Friday, said police. The deceased has been identified as Bhim Singh, father of an army personnel Kuldeep Kumar. In her complaint to the police, Pooja Devi, the deceased's daughter-in-law said that ten days ago, their cattle entered into the fields of accused Rajesh who objected to it. 'Then the issue was sorted out. On Friday, my father-in-law went to bring water from a solar pump installed near their fields. The accused Rajesh attacked my father-in-law with a sharp-edged weapon and he died,' she added. A spokesperson of the Jhajjar police said that the accused Rajesh has been booked on murder charges and a manhunt has been launched to arrest him.
The Hindu
8 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rajasthan school building collapse: Rahul Gandhi demands probe, strict punishment for culprits
The Congress has slammed the BJP over the death of seven children in a government school building collapse in Rajasthan's Jhalawar, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanding a probe and strict punishment for the culprits. A regular morning that saw students assembling for prayers quickly turned into tragedy on Friday (July 25, 2025) when a portion of their government school building collapsed, killing seven children and injuring 27, some of them critically. The youngest of those who died was only six years old. Minutes into the morning at the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, a part of the middle school building housing Classes 6 and 7 gave way, burying several children. In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 'the death of many innocent children due to the collapse of the roof of a government school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, is a very painful and shameful incident.' 'The government, which cannot repair the roofs of the schools of our children, despite complaints, for the future of the country, shows big dreams of 'Viksit Bharat',' he said. According to a news report from the previous day, water in a school run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was so much that the teachers themselves had to take the nursery children to a safe place, he said. 'Today, the news has come that the building of a school in Jodhpur has become so dilapidated that the children are forced to study under a neem tree,' he said. 'The BJP, which boasts a lot about development, has ruined the country. Bridge collapses, train accidents, cracks in newly built roads, statues of great personalities getting damaged after inauguration — all these have become common,' he alleged. 'The attention of the BJP is focused on only one thing - hunger for power!,' Mr. Kharge said. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also lashed out at the BJP over the incident. 'It is extremely saddening and worrying that several innocent children died and many others were injured when the roof of a government school collapsed in Jhalawar, Rajasthan,,' he said on X. 'According to media reports, the government ignored the complaints about dilapidated schools, due to which these innocent children lost their lives. Most of these children belonged to the Bahujan Samaj - do their lives have no value for the BJP government?' Mr. Gandhi said. 'There should be an impartial investigation of this incident and the culprits should be given the strictest punishment,' he asserted. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the death of several innocent children and injuries to many due to the collapse of the roof of a school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, is extremely saddening. 'According to reports, serious negligence regarding the dilapidated building took the lives of the innocent children. The matter should be investigated immediately, and strict action should be taken against the culprits,' she said. Slabs of concrete, bricks and stones were piled up high, and scores of people, including frantic parents and teachers, helped in the rescue effort, searching through the mounds of debris to pull out the children.
Hindustan Times
10 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Ignored complaints': Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge slam BJP for Rajasthan school roof collapse
The Congress on Friday slammed the BJP over the death of seven children in a government school building collapse in Rajasthan's Jhalawar, with Rahul Gandhi demanding a probe and strict punishment for the culprits. Locals during the rescue work after a government school building collapsed, in Jhalawar district, Rajasthan, Friday, July 25, 2025.(PTI) A regular morning that saw students assembling for prayers quickly turned into tragedy on Friday when a portion of their government school building collapsed, killing seven children and injuring 27, some of them critically. The youngest of those who died was only six years old. Minutes into the morning at the Piplodi Government School in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, a part of the middle school building housing Classes 6 and 7 gave way, burying several children. In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the death of many innocent children due to the collapse of the roof of a government school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, is a very painful and shameful incident. "The government, which cannot repair the roofs of the schools of our children, despite complaints, for the future of the country, shows big dreams of 'Viksit Bharat'," he said. According to a news report from the previous day, water in a school run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was so much that the teachers themselves had to take the nursery children to a safe place, he said. Today, the news has come that the building of a school in Jodhpur has become so dilapidated that the children are forced to study under a neem tree, he said. "The BJP, which boasts a lot about development, has ruined the country. Bridge collapses, train accidents, cracks in newly built roads, statues of great personalities getting damaged after inauguration - all these have become common," he alleged. "The attention of the BJP is focused on only one thing - hunger for power!" Kharge said. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also lashed out at the BJP over the incident. "It is extremely saddening and worrying that several innocent children died and many others were injured when the roof of a government school collapsed in Jhalawar, Rajasthan," he said on X. "According to media reports, the government ignored the complaints about dilapidated schools, due to which these innocent children lost their lives. Most of these children belonged to the Bahujan Samaj - do their lives have no value for the BJP government?" Gandhi said. "There should be an impartial investigation of this incident and the culprits should be given the strictest punishment," he asserted. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the death of several innocent children and injuries to many due to the collapse of the roof of a school in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, is extremely saddening. "According to reports, serious negligence regarding the dilapidated building took the lives of the innocent children. The matter should be investigated immediately, and strict action should be taken against the culprits," she said. Slabs of concrete, bricks and stones were piled up high, and scores of people, including frantic parents and teachers, helped in the rescue effort, searching through the mounds of debris to pull out the children.
