"Protect every inch of our democracy": TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Martyrs Day

West Bengal [India], July 21 (ANI): On the occasion of Martyrs' Day, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee posted on X to renew the pledge taken to protect every inch of our democracy and motherland, and to confront hatred with unity.
He shared on his post on X, "21st July is not just a date- It's a defiance etched in time. On Shahid Dibas, we remember: Bullets may kill bodies, but not beliefs. The spirit of Bengal cannot be crushed by tyranny. In 1993, 13 brave hearts were martyred - not for power, but for the principle of democracy. Their courage ignited a movement that shaped the destiny of our state and nation. Today, we renew that pledge. To protect every inch of our democracy and motherland. To confront hatred with unity. "
Banerjee added, "To confront hatred with unity. To stand unyielding against those who dream of dismantling our Constitution. To those who dare test Bengal's resolve - Know this: Memory is our Armour. Resistance is our Legacy. We do not retreat. We do not surrender."
West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee is going to address the Shaheed Diwas rally today to commemorate the death of several youths in 1993 after police opened fire at the protestors demanding that voter IDs be made the sole document required for voting.
On Sunday, Banerjee inspected the arrangements for the 'Shahid Dibas' rally in Kolkata's Dharmatala area. The event honours 13 "martyrs" who lost their lives during the 1993 Kolkata Writers Building march.
Addressing an event ahead of the AITC program, CM Banerjee said, "When CPI(M) was in power in West Bengal, we fought a lot... our comrades fought, sacrificed their lives. In their memory, we observe July 21 as Martyrs' Day, and for the past 33 years, this program has been held at the same place because many people sacrificed their lives here, some people even object to this."
For the past three decades, AITC has been carrying out events and rallies on July 21 annually to remember the death of 13 people in 1993.
In a post on X, CM Banerjee stated, "The right to vote freely, fearlessly, and with dignity, something we take for granted today, was once denied to the people of Bengal under an oppressive regime that silenced dissent and shut doors on democracy. We observe Shahid Dibas as a solemn tribute to the 13 brave souls who laid down their lives in the fight for Maa, Mati, and Manush, and as a reaffirmation of our commitment to protect our constitutional values at any cost. As always, I personally visited Dharmatala today to ensure that all arrangements are in place for tomorrow's programme, including proper accommodation for our guests and seating for the media. To the people of Bengal, I say this: Come peacefully, come in strength. Even if it rains, let it be seen as the tears of the martyrs reminding us of why we gather, why we remember, and why we must never stop fighting for democracy."
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh is also going to observe Shaheed Diwas today at Kharagpur city's Giri Maidan in West Bengal for all the BJP workers who were killed by Trinamool miscreants.
This morning, Ghosh, after performing puja at Kedarnath temple in Khagarpur city, visited the stage and said, "So that today's Shaheed Diwas activities go smoothly, I came to Kedarnath temple on Monday of Shravan month and performed puja."
While TMC workers from across the state gather in Kolkata to mark Martyrs' Day today, BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, along with several MPs and MLAs, will lead a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) titled, "Uttar Kanya (Mini-Secretariat) Cholo", which is scheduled to begin from Tinbatti More today in Jalpaiguri's Fulbari.
Ahead of the event, BJYM State President Indranil Khan, along with other party leaders, visited the site on Sunday to review the preparations.
Khan said to ANI, "The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) is going to organise a massive protest march in Siliguri on July 21st and is going to culminate with a Grand sabha. It is a protest rally and a protest is against the continued, repeated atrocities and crimes against women in West Bengal under the watch of our CM, Mamata Banerjee."
While speaking about the current incidences of rape cases in Kolkata, he stated, "You know very recently, the TMC student leader is no more a student, but he was illegally employed inside the college by the TMC government, and that guy, that monster, gangraped, brutally gangraped a law student inside the law college and all this happened in less than a year since we lost our sister Abhaya at RG Kar Medical College and this is rising crime against women, be it..Sandeshkhali..be it at Park Street, but if the atrocities like this happen inside a medical college, like it happened last year, or inside the law college, like it happened recently, just imagine the plight of women in the rural hinterland of West Bengal."
The leaders are expected to address the public after the rally. (ANI)