Amid the atmosphere of uncertainty, Mamata Banerjee delivered what many consider her first major public address after her recent political setback. Although she had occasionally communicated with the masses through social media, public meetings have always been her strongest medium of direct communication. On July 21, she returned to that familiar platform.
During her speech, she also announced that she would soon begin extensive tours across various districts of West Bengal. She further indicated that her political campaign would gradually extend from Kolkata to New Delhi, outlining a broader political programme in the months ahead.
As Bengal watches these developments unfold, attention is now turning towards the future of the state's politics. The battle over the legacy of July 21 has become much more than a remembrance of the past; it has become a struggle over the political future of West Bengal itself.
What It Once Meant
Today is July 21 2026, but this is no longer the same day that Bengal has known for the past three decades. As Lord Tennyson wrote: "Time marches but memory stays .'' I have witnessed every July 21 observance since 1993, and over the last 33 years, I have seen how the meaning of this day has evolved.
During the 15 years that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) remained in power, July 21 gradually transformed. What had once been a day marked by grief, sacrifice, and remembrance increasingly became a symbolic celebration of the party itself. Every year, new leaders joined the Trinamool Congress on this occasion. New faces would be welcomed onto the stage, while film stars, artists, intellectuals, and members of civil society gathered in large numbers.
People poured into Kolkata from every district of West Bengal. Buses were packed, railway stations overflowed with supporters, and traffic across the city would come to a standstill. Arrangements were made to feed thousands of people with simple meals of rice, lentils, eggs, and vegetables. For many visitors from rural Bengal, attending the rally was also an opportunity to explore Kolkata. After the meeting ended, many would visit tourist attractions such as the Victoria Memorial and the Alipore Zoo before returning home.
Fight For Legacy
But July 21, 2026 presents a completely different picture. There are no overflowing railway stations, no traffic gridlocks, and no endless queues of buses entering Kolkata. Instead, the day reflects a deeply divided Trinamool Congress.
This year, there are effectively four separate observances of 21 July, each claiming the legacy of 'martyrs'.
One observance is taking place in New Delhi, organised by the newly formed NCPI, which emerged after the split in the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party. The party held a Martyrs' Remembrance programme at Rajghat, where a delegation led by Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar paid floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. They folded their hands in respect, sang Rabindranath Tagore's songs, and remembered those who lost their lives on 21 July 1993.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay said that although they now belong to a different political party, they cannot forget those who died because they remain an inseparable part of Bengal's political history. Therefore, they too felt it was their duty to pay tribute.
However, the event also reflected divisions within the new political formation. Not all MPs associated with the NCPI attended the programme. Nine Members of Parliament, including actor-turned-politician Dev and June Malia, were absent.
Meanwhile, Kolkata itself has become the centre of three separate Martyrs' Day programmes.
The first is being organised by Mamata Banerjee's faction at the Birla Planetarium. Following directions from the Calcutta High Court, attendance has been restricted to 2,500 people. The programme has been kept deliberately simple. Those attending were served puffed rice and cucumber instead of elaborate meals. Many of the people present were individuals who had personally witnessed the police firing on 21 July 1993, making the gathering more of a remembrance than a political spectacle.
A second programme is being organised by the new Trinamool faction at Shahid Minar. Unlike the modest arrangements at Birla Planetarium, this event features large-scale food preparation. Egg curry and rice are being cooked on Mayo Road, while the cooking arrangements have been made at the Khudiram Anushilan Centre. Compared to the Kalighat event, the logistics appear significantly more organised.
Supporters of Mamata Banerjee's camp have alleged that the Mayo Road programme is receiving indirect support from the BJP, which they believe explains its larger scale and stronger organisational backing. However, they have not produced any concrete evidence to support that claim.
A Fresh Start For Congress
The Congress is also observing Shaheed Diwas separately this year. Ironically, during the years when the Trinamool Congress was in power, the Congress was never allowed to organise its own observance, even though most of those killed in the 1993 police firing were Congress workers. At that time, Mamata Banerjee herself was still a Congress leader. This year, however, the Congress has organised its own programme, attended by its senior state leadership.
Just ahead of July 21, Suvendu Adhikari launched what many described as a calculated and politically sharp offensive.
Referring to a 2015 commission report, Adhikari recalled that Pankaj Banerjee, one of the founding members of the Trinamool Congress who later left the party, had refused to testify before the commission. However, he had reportedly told journalists that the then Home Secretary Manish Gupta was responsible for the police firing.
After retiring from the civil service, Manish Gupta joined the Trinamool Congress and later served as a minister in Mamata Banerjee's first cabinet between 2011 and 2016.
Suvendu Adhikari questioned why the commission had ultimately not held Gupta responsible. According to him, the commission had recommended that all those killed in the firing should officially be recognised as martyrs. It had also recommended compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family of each victim identified through post-mortem records and Rs 5 lakh to every injured person.
Adhikari alleged that when Mamata Banerjee eventually became Chief Minister, those recommendations were not fully implemented. Instead, each bereaved family reportedly received Rs 2 lakh, while every injured individual received only Rs 15,000.
"Shouldn't we feel ashamed of this?" Adhikari asked.
The commission had also recorded the testimony of former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was the state's Home Minister at the time of the firing. He informed the commission that the Left Front government had collectively decided not to order a judicial inquiry into the incident. The commission eventually criticised the Left Front government for the police firing.
Many observers believe Suvendu Adhikari deliberately raised these issues in the Assembly just before July 21 to counter the emotional and symbolic politics traditionally associated with Martyrs' Day.
Another significant development this year is that even the families of those killed in the 1993 police firing have become politically divided.
Some relatives have publicly criticised Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of betraying the families.
Others remain firmly loyal to her.
A member of the family of one of those killed declared, "For us, Trinamool means Mamata Banerjee. I will remain with didi until my last breath."
In contrast, another person's family openly stated that Mamata Banerjee had abandoned and betrayed them.
The divisions have become so pronounced that every political faction organising a 21 July programme in Kolkata has invited the families to attend its respective event. As a result, many of these families now find themselves caught between competing political loyalties and conflicting invitations.
This year's observance is therefore marked not only by remembrance but also by confusion, political rivalry and emotional conflict.
(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
