“BJP has ED, CBI, but TMC has the people’s support…”: Abhishek Banerjee is back

Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the people of Bengal and the country have taught the saffron party a lesson. His remarks come after the BJP won 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, falling short of a majority by 32 seats and relying on alliance partners like Nitish Kumar's JDU and Chandrababu Naidu's TDP to form a government. Abhishek Banerjee made his first political appearance at the Martyr’s Day rally since a brief hiatus following the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

“We do not believe in an authoritarian regime, we believe in the strength of the common people, and what is the strength of the common people? The people of India have displayed that on June 4,” said Banerjee lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Lok Sabha election results that were declared on June 4.

Abhishek Banerjee also thanked the people of the country and congratulated the Trinamool Congress party workers who he said worked tirelessly to ensure such a “historic victory” for the Trinamool Congress and the INDIA Alliance at large. ““They (BJP) who said ‘abki bar 400 paar’, had to come at a staggering halt at 240. The very people who had said ‘is bar 200 paar’ during the Bengal Assembly elections, managed to clinch only 70. The BJP has everything in their arsenal. They have the help of the ED, the CBI, the media, a part of the judiciary, the income tax, they also have money power, but, Trinamool Congress has the support of the people and its party workers,” said Abhishek Banerjee.

Raking up the NEET issue, Abhishek Banerjee questioned that if the erstwhile Education Minister of Bengal, Partha Chatterjee could be arrested by the ED in light of the “so-called” SSC and TET “scams”, why is the central agency not arresting the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in light of the NEET “scam”, suggesting a perceived disparity in their treatment. “If Partha Chatterjee’s house can be raided and he arrested by the ED because of the so-called SSC and TET scams, why can’t the ED not raid the house of Dharmendra Pradhan and arrest him in light of the paper leaks in the NEET scam,” asked Abhishek Banerjee.

Trinamool Congress's Martyrs' Day celebration in Kolkata not only had West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but also had Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in attendance. Their joint appearance highlighted the strengthening alliance between the two parties, both part of the Opposition INDIA Bloc. This comes after the Lok Sabha elections, where the Opposition alliance secured a total of 234 seats, with the Trinamool Congress winning 29 seats and the Samajwadi Party bagging 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The July 21 rally held by Trinamool Congress annually holds significance as it commemorates 'Martyrs Day,' an annual tribute to 13 individuals who lost their lives during a protest led by the West Bengal Youth Congress in 1993. Mamata Banerjee, then leading the youth wing, initiated this observance to honor those who were victims of police firing during a movement advocating for voter identity cards with photographs.​