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West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Sunday alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee had "hijacked" the July 21 'Shaheed Diwas' (Martyrs' Day) observance, saying the day was originally associated with Congress workers.
Speaking to ANI in Kharagpur, Ghosh said permission had been granted by the police for the event and stressed that tributes should be paid to all those who lost their lives. "July 21st as Martyrs' Day belonged to Congress workers. Mamata Banerjee had hijacked it...the police have given permission...we pay tribute to everyone. It's not right for any party to take over," he told reporters. July 21 is observed every year as 'Shaheed Diwas' in West Bengal. The day commemorates the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest under the Left Front regime in 1993. Mamata Banerjee, who was the West Bengal Youth Congress president at the time, continued observing the day annually after founding the Trinamool Congress. The event has since become a major political gathering organised by the TMC every year. Meanwhile, in June, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee termed the denial of permission for the July 21 Shahid Diwas (Martyrs' Day) event "detrimental to democracy," asserting that the programme would be held despite the rejection and that the venue and format would be decided soon. Addressing a press conference here, Banerjee said his faction had expected permission from the Kolkata Police as the event had been organised for years. "This is detrimental to democracy; since this is an event that has been taking place for a long time, we had certain expectations. We had applied to the Kolkata Police for permission, hoping it would be granted. However, permission was denied, and we believe this should not have happened," he said. (ANI)
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