Record footfall as lakhs throng braving rain
KOLKATA: Excitement ran high as a tsunami of supporters and workers of Trinamool Congress (TMC) marched from different districts to Dharmatala to attend the Martyrs’ Day rally on Thursday.
After two years of virtual meet, the party had organised a mass rally in honour of 13 activists’ lives that were lost in 1993 under the Left Front government’s regime.
People from 23 districts of the state came to the city to listen to party leader Mamata Banerjee’s speech and get inspired by it. They reached the venue early in the morning and continued to pour in till late afternoon.
The energy was such that even a heavy downpour around noon could hardly dampen it. People took shelter at nearby pavement shops and continued to raise slogans. No one was left behind as arrangements were made for people who could not reach the stage. There were at least five LED screens placed at corners and loudspeakers at every juncture.
Mamata Banerjee took centerstage to rousing applause and victory slogans.
She punctuated her speech with some spectacle on stage. At one point, she held up some muri (puffed rice) – a traditional snack — to make a point against the recent levying of Goods and Services Tax on essentials that weren’t in the GST net earlier. A large cutout of a gas cylinder made an appearance, too.
Then she asked the crowd to pass her some muri, got a bit out of a bag, and called a jhal muri vendor on stage, saying she would certainly pay him. Holding up a tray of puffed rice, she said: “See, they have put GST on muri. Even on mishti (sweets), lassi (buttermilk) and curd... If a patient gets admitted to hospital, they’ll charge GST now.”
Meanwhile, the workers arrived in flocks wearing t-shirts with Mamata’s face printed on both sides, carrying party flags and some even took the effort to put on fancy headgears with TMC’s symbol perched on top. Arrangements were made to ensure food, medicine and water to the attendees.
The Youth Khalsa Club had prepared 10,000 kilograms of vegetable biryani to feed the people who had come a long distance for the rally. There was another unit of langar, where chana masala, parathas and tea were distributed amongst the people.
The streets of Dharmatala seemed to have transformed overnight as the pavements selling duplicate t-shirts had been replaced by vendors selling portrait images of the Chief Minister and Abhishek Banerjee. A man from Behala, who works as a bus conductor, had come on a bicycle with flags on all sides. He became a selfie point for many people there.
At least 4,500 police personnel were deployed across the city to maintain law and order in the city during the day. The Progressive Doctors’ Association had set up a unit at the pavement, which had two beds, oxygen supply and saline. The doctors were treating people who came to them with different symptoms like fever, allergy, dehydration and vomiting. Four ambulances were kept on the side in case of an emergency. Around 50 people from each district had volunteered to manage the crowd and help others who were coming to attend the rally. The volunteers were present at Esplanade Metro station and provided the incoming workers with directions while removing squatters for a free flow of people within the station.