kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK : The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has taken to the streets today in a state-wide protest against recent remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Terming the comments “insulting” and “deeply offensive,” TMC leaders have accused the BJP of indulging in personal attacks against the state’s elected head and undermining the dignity of women in politics.

Senior leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress announced on Thursday that party workers and supporters would organize demonstrations, road marches, and public meetings across districts to express their anger and demand an apology from the BJP’s central and state leadership. The protests are being carried out in Kolkata as well as in districts like North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Birbhum, and Nadia, among others.

While the TMC has not specified the exact BJP leaders whose comments sparked the protest, party insiders pointed to recent statements made by BJP MP Dilip Ghosh and a few other state functionaries that allegedly mocked Mamata Banerjee’s health and demeaned her leadership style. In particular, a comment suggesting that the Chief Minister was “mentally unwell” and “losing grip” after the election results has triggered widespread outrage within the ruling party.

Addressing a rally in Kolkata, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said, “This is not just an attack on Mamata Banerjee, this is an attack on the women of Bengal, on the people who voted for her with overwhelming faith. We will not tolerate this kind of disrespect.” He added that the BJP’s “abusive and sexist rhetoric” reveals the party’s deep frustration after failing to unseat the TMC in Bengal.

The protests, which began on Friday morning, saw thousands of Trinamool supporters holding placards, chanting slogans, and blocking key intersections in several towns and cities. Many carried posters of Mamata Banerjee and called her the “face of dignity and resistance.” TMC youth and women’s wings played a central role in organizing the mobilization, with symbolic gestures like tying black bands and lighting candles in some locations.

At Esplanade in central Kolkata, a key hub of political activity, traffic was severely affected as party workers set up a large stage and held a rally denouncing the BJP’s “vile language.” State ministers such as Firhad Hakim and Chandrima Bhattacharya participated in the event and emphasized the need to maintain civility in public discourse.

The BJP has dismissed the protests as “drama” and “an attempt to divert attention from governance failures.” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “The TMC is using protests as a shield to hide its poor handling of post-election violence, corruption charges, and law and order issues. Mamata Banerjee is playing the victim card again.”

Political analysts believe the TMC’s public demonstrations are more than just reactive; they are part of a broader strategy to consolidate its support base by framing the BJP as a party that disrespects Bengal’s leadership and culture. In the past, similar tactics have helped Mamata Banerjee rally mass support, especially among women and rural voters.

As protests continued through the afternoon, TMC leaders declared that this would not be a one-day event. “We will keep raising our voice until the BJP stops this politics of insult and character assassination,” said Trinamool MLA Bratya Basu.

The ongoing unrest highlights the deepening rift between the two major parties in West Bengal, a state that has emerged as one of the most politically volatile in the country post the 2024 general elections. Whether these demonstrations will lead to any concrete political shifts remains to be seen, but they have certainly reignited the war of words and street power between the TMC and BJP.