As the Trinamul Congress (TMC) gears up for its annual Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata on 21 July, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing for a counter-political event in north Bengal—the Uttarkanya Cholo Abhiyan—on the same day.
Organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, the rally is being held to highlight a “single-point agenda”: the deteriorating condition of women’s safety in West Bengal. Recent incidents, including unrest at R G Kar and Kasba Law Colleges in Kolkata, have triggered sharp reactions from the BJP, which has accused the ruling TMC of ignoring women’s security.
Despite initially being denied permission by the Siliguri Metropolitan Police to hold the rally, the BJP managed to secure approval from the Calcutta High Court, albeit with certain restrictions. According to the court order, the protest march must remain confined between Tinbatti and Chunavati playground—an area surrounding Uttarkanya, the state’s north Bengal branch secretariat located on Asian Highway 2 between Siliguri and Jalpaiguri.
The high court also imposed crowd control measures: while the BJP is allowed to hold a public meeting with fewer than 10,000 people, only around 100 participants are permitted to join the rally procession leading to the venue.
Speaking ahead of the rally, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya confirmed that key party leaders, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, BJYM state president Dr Indranil Khan, and other senior functionaries will lead the protest on Monday.
Siliguri BJP district president Arun Mandal has called upon people to join the protest in large numbers, asserting that the party stands firm on issues related to women’s safety and the alleged breakdown of law and order under the TMC regime.
In response, the TMC has accused the BJP of indulging in “confrontation politics.” Siliguri mayor Goutam Deb criticised the saffron party for choosing the same day as TMC’s traditional Martyrs’ Day rally—observed every year in memory of the 13 youth killed in police firing in 1993.
“This is clearly a deliberate move to hijack public attention and share media space on a day when the focus should be on the legacy of 21 July,” said Mr Deb. “If the BJP truly cared about their issue, they could have chosen any other date.”
Echoing similar sentiments, former TMC Siliguri district president Papiya Ghosh alleged: “The BJP’s intention is not to protest but to gain visibility on a day when Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee will be addressing lakhs of people in Kolkata, with extensive media coverage.”
Tensions have also been building over concerns about law and order. The TMC’s trade union wing INTTUC, particularly its Darjeeling plains unit president Nirjal De, has expressed fears that “unruly BJP mobs may attempt to storm Uttarkanya,” creating potential flashpoints.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders continue to rally support in north Bengal. From 14-16 July, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya toured Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Siliguri, promoting the Uttarkanya Cholo Abhiyan and slamming the state government for the “non-functional” branch secretariat and alleged inaction by the North Bengal Development Department under minister Udayan Guha.
As both parties prepare for their respective programmes on 21 July, the stage is set for a high-voltage political showdown, with the battle lines drawn not only in Kolkata but also in Siliguri.