How did July 21 come to be marked as Shaheed Diwas?

Following the party’s formation in 1998, Shaheed Diwas became the TMC’s signature annual event as it allowed the party to lay claim to a legacy of anti-CPI(M) politics and create a narrative that it is the most resolute political force standing up to the Left in West Bengal.

What are the events set to take place on Martyr’s Day?

The TMC will mark the day by organising a rally in Kolkata’s Dharmatala area on Sunday. The rally will see the first public address by party chairperson Banerjee after the poll triumphs. Her speech will be closely watched for its messaging and symbolism for Bengal politics as well as the larger Opposition.

The rally is going to be the party’s biggest political event in the annual calendar as it steps ahead to outline its plans and strategy.

Leaders from other parties, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s representatives will be present at the event.

Banerjee’s speech, first after poll victories, will be closely watched for its messaging and symbolism for Bengal politics as well as the larger Opposition, setting her party’s roadmap for the next 12 months.

“This year, the main focus will be on measures for rectification within the party and the preparations for the 2026 Assembly polls,” said a senior TMC leader, adding, “The presence of Akhilesh and other INDIA alliance leaders will be a good advertisement for the party.”

After the rally, the Bengal CM, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav may hold a meeting on the Opposition’s strategy for the Budget Session of Parliament, set to be held on Monday, a senior TMC leader told The Indian Express.

Why is Shaheed Diwas observed?

In the Lok Sabha polls of 1984, Banerjee, then in the Congress, created ripples by defeating prominent CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee from the Left party’s bastion Jadavpur. She also emerged as a crucial leader for the state Congress after CPI(M) workers attacked south Kolkata in August 1990, demonstrating that whether by accident or design, Banerjee had become a threat for the CPI(M).

On July 21, 1993, the state Youth Congress, led by Banerjee, organised a Writers’ Abhiyan, where party workers marched to the Writers’ Building in the state Secretariat, demanding the voter ID to be made the sole document for voting, as people used ration cards as identity proof while voting. The demand was raised by the party to put an end to alleged false voting by the Left.

The then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had declared that he would not allow the state secretariat to be taken over by the protesters.

When the police stopped one of the processions, a scuffle ensued and a few people started throwing stones, when the police resorted to lathi-charge and subsequently opened fire, killing 13 Congress workers.

From the following year, July 21 began to be marked by the Congress as Shaheed Diwas.