December 31, 2018
Looking back at 2018 – Milestones for Trinamool
2018 was an eventful year for All India Trinamool Congress. From the massive victory in the Panchayat elections, to Didi’s clarion call ‘Brigade Chalo’ ahead of 2019 general elections – the year had a lot of milestones.
Here are some of the major events of the year 2018
January: Extended Core Committee meeting held
The year’s first meeting of the Extended Core Committee of the party was held at Uttirna, the first time such a meeting was held at the open-air auditorium in Alipore, Kolkata. Alongside MPs and MLAs, all ministers, heads and leaders of panchayat samitis and zilla parishads, and others were present. The roadmap for the future programmes of the party was drawn up at the meeting.
February: Student-Youth Convention
The annual Student-Youth Convention of the party was split up this year. One was held at the Dumurjola Stadium in Howrah for south Bengal districts. Another convention was held in Siliguri for north Bengal districts.
Click here for details of the south Bengal convention
Click here for details of the north Bengal convention
March: Trinamool MPs stage protest against FCRA amendment in Parliament
The Trinamool Congress MPs from both Houses of Parliament protested near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside Parliament premises, against the amendment to the FCRA Bill. They raised slogans like “Mazdoor kisan majboor hain/ Party fund mein dollar zaroor hain”, “Foreign kala dhan party fund mein nahin chalega”, “Chori se amendment chillachilli mein kyun pass kiya” and “Black money in foreign banks = White money in political accounts”.
April: ‘5tay Panchayat’ creates history
Trinamool has always believed in the power of 360-degree communication – from wall graffiti to street corner meetings and rallies, from door-to-door campaigning to the use of social media, every mode of communication has been used effectively. In line with this strategy, from April 30, at 5pm, in view of the upcoming Panchayat elections, several senior leaders presented a series of Facebook Live programmes called ‘5tay Panchayat’, with the aim of communicating the policies and views of the party to the electorate at large.
May: Trinamool sweeps panchayat elections
Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, the party won 90 per cent of the seats at the polls for the three-tier panchayat system.
June: Extended Core Committee meeting held
The year’s second meeting of the party’s Extended Core Committee was held on June 21, at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata. Chairperson Mamata Banerjee asked the attendees, who included leaders from all levels of the party, to give greater stress on communicating to the public about Trinamool Congress’s views.
July: Ekushe July rally at Dharmatala
The annual Ekushe July rally in memory of the martyrs of police firing (Shahid Dibas) was held at Dharmatala. Party Chairperson Mamata Banerjee addressed a huge crowd of supporters at Dharmatala, Kolkata.
August: Trinamool delegation heckled in Silchar
A delegation from the Trinamool Congress was roughed up at the Silchar Airport on August 4, whence they had arrived on their way to places in Assam to talk to people removed from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which list was published recently, and take proper stock of the situation.
September: Trinamool welcomes historic Aadhaar verdict by the Supreme Court
Trinamool Congress welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict, striking down the contentious rules issued by the BJP-led Central Government on the applications of the Aadhaar number.
Click here to read the party’s past statements on the issue
October: Core Committee meeting at Trinamool Bhavan
The Core Committee of the Trinamool Congress met at Trinamool Bhavan. Chairperson Mamata Banerjee addressed the media after the meeting, speaking on some of the major decisions take, including the reassignment of responsibilities in a few districts.
November: Trinamool hit the streets, protesting against killing of Bengalis in Assam
After five Bengalis were killed in Tinsukhia district in Assam, a fallout of the publication of the NRC, Trinamool Congress leaders led protest marches across Bangla.
December: Party raised issues affecting the common people at Winter Session of Parliament
From job crisis to farmers’ distress, Trinamool Congress raised people’s issues during the Winter Session of Parliament. Several protests were also held by the party’s MPs inside the Parliament premises.
