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It is now 22 years since All India Trinamool Congress was formed. From a small regional party in 1998, when it was formed under the leadership of the firebrand leader, Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress is now a force to reckon with in national politics.

Over these 22 years, there have been numerous memorable moments. Let us take a look at 22 crucial events along the timeline of 22 years, events which have proved to all and sundry that Trinamool Congress always strives to serve the common people, come hell or high weather.

1. Formation of the party

Trinamool Congress was founded on January 1, 1998, and Mamata Banerjee was chosen as the leader of the party. In that year too, the party fought the general elections for the first time and significantly, won eight seats in the Lok Sabha from Bangla.

2. Railways Minister

After the 1999 general election, Mamata Banerjee became the Union Railways Minister, which she remained till 2001.

3. Winning the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)

In 2000, Trinamool Congress fought in the election for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for the first time, and won overwhelmingly. For the first time, the Kolkata Mayor was a Trinamool candidate.

4. First Assembly elections

In 2001, Trinamool Congress fought the State Assembly election for the first time, and won in 60 seats.

5. Keshpur and Garbeta massacres

On January 4, 2001, Trinamool workers were massacred in Chhoto Angariya by the workers of CPI(M).

6. Jago Bangla

In 2004, the official mouthpiece of All India Trinamool Congress, Jago Bangla was first published. It is a weekly publication.

7. Singur Movement

In 2006, the then State Government forcibly acquired 1,000 acres of multi-crop agricultural from farmers in Singur for a car factory. Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, started a huge movement to compel the government to return the plots to the unwilling farmers.

8. 26-day hunger strike

Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee undertook a hunger strike, which lasted for 26 days, against the forcible acquisition of 1,000 acres of farmland in Singur for a car factory by Tata Motors.

9. Nandigram Movement

In a re-run of Singur, in 2007 in Nandigram, the then State Government, tried to forcibly acquire agricultural land. A movement built up, again led by Trinamool Congress. On March 14 of that year, police fired indiscriminately on protesters, killing 14 people.

10. Panchayat election win

In the 2008 Panchayat election, Trinamool Congress put up a great show, forming the Zilla Parishad in East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas districts.

11. Lok Sabha win

In the 2009 general elections, Trinamool Congress won 19 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bangla.

12. Second KMC win

In 2010, Trinamool Congress won the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for a second time, winning 95 of the Corporation’s 141 seats

13. Assembly election win

In 2011, Trinamool Congress won a historic Assembly election, bringing to an end 34 years of Left Front rule. The first Maa-Mati-Manush Government was formed in Bangla under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.

14. Decimation of Left in Panchayat polls

In 2013, Trinamool Congress won 13 out of 17 Zila Parishads in the State, decimating the Left Front completely.

15. Winning majority of the seats in Lok Sabha from Bangla

Achieving another milestone, in 2014, Trinamool Congress won 34 of the 42 seats in the Lok Sabha election, which is currently the fourth highest in the Lok Sabha.

16. 33% female MPs in Lok Sabha

In the 2014 election for the Lok Sabha, Trinamool Congress hit another milestone – 12 women became Members of Parliament (MP).

17. Victory in Municipal polls

In 2015, Trinamool Congress retained the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, as well as winning 77 other civic body elections.

18. Second Assembly win

In 2016, Trinamool Congress won the Assembly election for a second consecutive time, this time more overwhelmingly than ever. The party, under the strident leadership of Mamata Banerjee, won 211 of the 294 seats, decimating the opposition with the power of the people. Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister for a second consecutive term.

19. Singur land returned

After the historic judgment by Supreme Court on August 31, 2006, the land acquisition at Singur was termed unconstitutional. Fulfilling her promise, Mamata Banerjee returned the land deeds to farmers in Singur in September.

20. National party

In recognition of the growing influence that Trinamool Congress is having in national politics, in 2016, the Election Commission recognised the party as a national party. All India Trinamool Congress thus became the seventh national party.

21. Sweeping victory in panchayat elections

Trinamool Congress achieves overwhelming victory in the 2018 panchayat elections, wresting control of all the Zilla Parishads.

22. Protests against NRC and CAB

Trinamool Congress led protests across the State against the divisive and abominable Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and against the Centre’s decision to implement the NRC across the nation.

Mamata Banerjee had carried out numerous movements in the interest of the people over a period of time, but simultaneously she was realising that to take her movement ahead, she needed a separate platform to raise her voice against the barbaric rule of the CPI(M). Being with the Congress party was becoming a hindrance.

It was this idea and need which gave birth to the Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998. In 1997, when the Congress convention was going on at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Mamata Banerjee organised an outdoor convention. She believed in working for grassroots people. She wanted to work for common people. That is why she and her compatriots chose the name Trinamool.

The time she chose was the end of the 11th Lok Sabha and the beginning of the 12th Lok Sabha. As a politician of much experience and stature, she understood that it was the right time to launch the party and feel the pulse of the electorate, as people were in admiration of her having seen her work.

Trinamool Congress was established on January 1, 1998. “A silent revolution is taking place in West Bengal. The people are on the verge of writing history… A new epoch will start”, said Chairperson Mamata Banerjee.

On the day of the inception of Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee sketched the logo of the party which signifies ‘grass root’ (two saplings on the grass). She thought if the Election Commission approves the logo then she will achieve two goals: one, the launch of her party and two, of simultaneously taking the philosophy of the party and explaining to the people her deep thought behind the logo, which was the message of secularism, “Ek e brinte duti kusum, Hindu Musalman, ekjon tar noyonmoni onno ti tar pran” (two buds on the tree, Hindu and Muslim. If one of them is the eye, then the other is life).

The Election Commission did approve the logo but had also issued a stricture which read if the Trinamool Congress failed to get six-percentage of votes in the 12th Lok Sabha elections, then the pre-symbol will be cancelled. Trinamool Congress well passed the cut-off percentage and the party was born.

Today is the foundation day of All India Trinamool Congress. The party has come a long way since its founding in 1998. Over this period, it has become one of the most important parties of country under the leadership of its chairperson, Mamata Banerjee.

Over the last few weeks, the party has been playing a leading role in the protest against the unconstitutional Citizenship Amendment Bill (or CAB, which is now an Act) and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which, if implemented, would take away citizenship from many people across the country.

For this reason, Mamata Banerjee had announced a few days back that January 1 would be observed as Nagorik Dibas, or Citizens’ Day across booths in the State. That apart, activities like distribution of warm clothes for the poor, blood donation camps and cultural programmes have also been organised.

Almost 8 crore people of the State get rice rationed at Rs 2 per kg under the PDS (public distribution system). Now the government is thinking of reducing the price to Re 1.

The proposal has been sent to Nabanna for approval. Once approved, consumers will get 1 kg rice for just Re 1. The State Government will have to spend an additional Rs 200 crore to implement this. Currently, the Bangla Government provides an additional subsidy of Re 1/kg on rice, for the consumers under National Food Security Act.

Under Khadya Sathi, the State Government spends more than Rs 5,000 crore from its own funds to provide subsidised rice and pulses to ration consumers. This is a dream project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

State Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra has asked the West Bengal Garment Manufacturers and Dealers Association to set a target of business worth Rs 1 lakh crore by 2023. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the 50th Garment Buyers and Sellers Meet and the B2B Kids Garments Expo in New Town, organised by the West Bengal Garments Manufacturers & Dealers Association.

He informed that the State Government has taken up a project to set up seven textile parks. Some of them have already started functioning. Bangla’s textile sector has grown a lot since 2011. More than 20 lakh people are directly employed in this sector, while 30 lakh people are indirectly employed. There are 180 handloom clusters in the state, engaging approximately six lakh people.

Another sign of growth is that the amount of loan disbursed by banks to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) has gone up compared to financial year 2010-11.

Dr Mitra also informed that several foreign companies have already opened their offices in Bangla and are on course to invest money in the State.

The Bangla Government’s River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) has decided to allot Rs 4,500 crore to clean up the Bidyadhari River. The completion of the entire process will take up to five years.

A surveillance committee for the implementation of the project will be set up under the district magistrate, which will send a report every three months to the RRC.

The plan is to not only rejuvenate the river in Minakha and Haroa blocks, but to also set up a waste management system, sewage plants, rainwater harvesting system and system to control underground water extraction in the municipal areas, as well as plantation policies on both sides of the river and biodiversity parks.

The Bangla Government has decided to roll out CNG buses in the city by March 2020, the Transport Minister said on December 6.

During a discussion in the assembly, the minister said a fuel station has been set up at one of the bus depots of the department in southern part of the city.

Later, he said that apart from electric buses, 10 CNG buses will be rolled out by March 2020 to start with the project and the government has signed an agreement with state-owned GAIL (India) Ltd to supply the compressed natural gas (CNG).

“GAIL will supply CNG on tankers to feed the Kasba fuel station and we have already signed a pact in this regard,” he said.

He said the state government will add 150 electric buses across the state from the existing fleet strength of 80 odd.

Bangla has got National Award – first prize for 100 Days’ Work programme for livelihoods promotion and convergence, as per announcement of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on her Facebook page, “Bankura and Cooch Behar districts got best performance awards, first and second, on all India basis. Baburmahal GP of Kulpi, South 24 Paraganas also got the best performance award.”

The CM added, “This is the result of dedication, hard and innovative work of entire team from the State, District, GP and up to village level and continuous monitoring. Our State has been a top performer in 100 days work programme.”

She congratulated the entire team “for such outstanding work and achieving national leadership”.

Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today warned of strict action, amid violent protests, vandalism across Bengal by people protesting amended Citizenship Act.

Here is what she said:

Protest in a democratic manner

Do not take the law in your own hand

Do not block roads, railway tracks

Bangla Government will not tolerate harassment of common people

Government will prosecute those who will torch buses, throw stones at trains and vandalise public property