International Hawkers Day: Mamata slams BJP over eviction on hawkers
The Statesman | 27 May 2026
On International Hawkers Day, Trinamul Congress chairperson and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of carrying out “atrocities” against hawkers and street vendors in the state through eviction drives and demolition of roadside stalls.
In a strongly worded post on X, Banerjee said she was “astonished, angry and deeply pained” at what she described as the treatment meted out to members of the informal sector since the BJP came to power in different parts of the country. “On International Hawkers Day observed across the world on 26 May, I extend my greetings to my hardworking hawker brothers and sisters. At the same time, I express my solidarity with them,” she wrote. The TMC chief alleged that hawkers were being evicted without rehabilitation and their shops demolished “without any regard for their tears and suffering”. She warned that “those who oppress will certainly face the consequences” and reiterated her party’s support for the community.
“I was, am, and will always stand by you,” Banerjee said in her message addressed to hawkers and small traders. Highlighting the significance of International Hawkers Day, Banerjee said the occasion recognises the contribution of street vendors, hawkers and small traders, who form the backbone of the informal economy and provide essential services in urban spaces.
The former Chief Minister also referred to the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, enacted to safeguard hawkers from arbitrary eviction and harassment. She pointed out that the Supreme Court, in several judgments, had recognised the right to livelihood of hawkers as part of the constitutional guarantees under Articles 19(1)(g) and 21. Ms Banerjee maintained that the objective of urban planning should not be the removal of hawkers from public spaces but their systematic integration into the city economy through organised municipal markets and regulated vending zones.