Left parties plan show of strength at Brigade rally
The Statesman | 21 April 2025
The Left Front’s much-anticipated Brigade Parade Ground rally is scheduled for Sunday, with preparations now in their final stages. Despite being held on a weekend, which is expected to ease some of the pressure on regular commuters, the Kolkata Police is gearing up for significant traffic disruptions across the city. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has planned seven major rallies that will converge at Brigade from key points like Howrah and Sealdah railway stations and various locations across Kolkata. According to Lalbazar sources, gatherings will start from Park Circus Maidan, Kidderpore Crossing, Victoria House, Exide Crossing, and other designated areas, from where Left supporters will march towards the Brigade ground.
In anticipation of the large-scale movement of people, around 900 police personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order. Senior traffic officers will be stationed in sensitive zones to manage traffic flow, with the possibility of road closures in areas such as Chittaranjan Avenue, Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, Red Road, Park Street, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, AJC Bose Road, and CIT Road. Besides the major processions, numerous smaller rallies are also expected to enter the city from different suburbs and localities, potentially causing sporadic traffic congestion in various parts of Kolkata.
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A senior traffic official, requesting anonymity, said: “This isn’t the first Brigade rally. We’ll respond as per the situation. Preparations are in place.” Participants coming from Howrah are expected to use Brabourne Road, Rabindra Sarani, Bentinck Street, and Dharmatala, while those from Sealdah will travel via AJC Bose Road, SN Banerjee Road, and onward to Brigade. Unlike past rallies that typically took place in cooler months like January or February, this year’s event is being held in April. To avoid the peak heat, the rally will begin later in the afternoon, around 3 pm. CPI-M state secretary and Politburo member Md Salim has emphasised that the rally will address the growing polarisation in state politics, which he claims often overshadows real issues like corruption and the crumbling state of health and education services. The rally, being spearheaded by class-based Left organisations such as the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), agricultural workers’ unions, and CITU, aims to highlight the struggles of workers, farmers, and the marginalised.
Among the demands to be raised are protests against the scrapping of 26,000 teaching jobs due to alleged recruitment scams and opposition to the Centre’s amended Waqf Act. Leaders like Amal Haldar (AIKS), Nirapad Sardar and Tushar Ghosh (agricultural workers’ unions), and Anadi Sahu and Subhash Mukherjee (CITU) are expected to speak at the rally, alongside CPI-M’s Md Salim.
Organisers claim over one lakh people are expected from north Bengal alone, many of whom began their journey to Kolkata on Friday. Accommodation for female participants has been arranged at several union offices, while Entali’s Ramlila Maidan has been designated for central lodging. Trinamul Congress leader Kunal Ghosh mocked the rally, alleging: “Those who are going to the CPI-M’s Brigade will end up voting for the BJP. It’s just for show.”
The BJP, meanwhile, sarcastically claimed that TMC might help CPI-M fill the ground with crowds. In response, CPI-M central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said: “At a time when people are being divided along caste and religion and corruption rules the day, this Brigade will give a message for politics that speaks for the people. Both TMC and BJP fear this resurgence—that’s why they are speaking so much about us.” Sunday’s rally is shaping up to be a test of strength for the Left in West Bengal, a state where they once ruled for over three decades.