July 21, 2015
Mamata Banerjee gives directions to party workers at 21 July rally
Kolkata has geared up for Tuesday’s massive mobilisation of Trinamool Congress supporters in and around the Esplanade-CR Avenue crossing on the occasion of “Martyrs’ Day” to commemorate the death of 13 Youth Congress supporters who had fallen to police bullets on 21 July in 1993.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who supervised the arrangements at the venue on Monday evening, sought an “apology in advance’’ from the people who will be greatly incovenienced as traffic in all the city’s arterial roads will be thrown out of gear.
“We would have shifted the venue to the Brigade Parade Ground though the huge ground would be too small to accommodate the mammoth crowd that would turn up. But, we have to stick to the spot where the killings took place. We don’t take out processions every now and then unlike many political parties. But, only on 21 July every year we all gather here to pay homage to our martyrs. I request the people to bear with us only for one day,” Banerjee told the media.
Without naming any political party, she said : “One political party leader, who has hardly any supporter, often blocks the road with a handful of demonstrators. But we never do that.’
Trinamool supporters coming from the Shyamabazar five-point crossing would take Central Avenue to reach the venue and those coming from Howrah and Sealdah stations will move along Brabourne Road and SN Banerjee Road, respectively, to reach Esplanade. A large number of party activists will also arrive from Salt Lake via Beliaghata.
Lakhs and thousands of supporters have arrived from across districts to listen to Mamata Banerjee who will give directions for the future from the dais today.
