Mamata alone on TMC's July 21 rally posters as Abhishek opts out

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has decided that only the image of party supremo Mamata Banerjee will feature on all official posters for the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally, as national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has opted out stating he wasn't part of the original movement in 1993.

The decision of Abhishek, Mamata Banerjee's nephew and widely regarded as the party's second-in-command, to opt out of the poster has raised eyebrows across political circles, sparking speculation about internal party dynamics.

Senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay confirmed the move on Saturday following a meeting held at the party's Bhabanipur office here.

"The poster for the July 21 rally contains only Mamata Banerjee's photograph. Abhishek Banerjee himself said his photo should not be there as he was not part of the original movement in 1993," Bandopadhyay, the party's leader in Lok Sabha, told reporters.

According to party leaders, Abhishek Banerjee, entered politics as a member of the TMC in 2011 and was eventually made the president of Trinamool Yuva, which was later merged with Trinamool Youth Congress.

The announcement comes amid a history of intra-party debates over the prominence of leaders in posters. The controversy dates back to November 2023 when only Mamata's image featured in the background of a major rally at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

At that time, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had publicly questioned the omission of Abhishek's image, stirring internal debates.

Earlier this year, the issue flared up again over a TMC calendar distributed among various party offices. The 2025 calendar, sent to district units, displayed both Mamata and Abhishek, but later the state leadership promptly instructed district leaders not to use the calendar.

Abhishek's image was subsequently omitted from major party events, including the February rally at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay emphasised that the July 21 rally will be historic.

"This time, we aim for a record-breaking turnout. We will set a benchmark for how a single party can organise such a massive rally in the heart of a city," he said, adding that party leaders, including state president Subrata Bakshi, have issued clear directives to district units to ensure maximum mobilisation.

The July 21 'Martyrs Day' rally is observed annually by TMC to commemorate the killing of 13 people in police firing in 1993, when Mamata Banerjee, then a Youth Congress leader, had launched a march to the secretariat, demanding that voters' card be made the sole document to allow people to exercise their franchise.

Amid preparations for the rally, another political subplot unfolded on Saturday as two heavyweight leaders from Birbhum, Anubrata Mondal and Kajal Sheikh, were asked to attend a closed-door meeting with top TMC leaders.

Both leaders have been embroiled in a factional feud in the politically volatile Birbhum district.

While Kajal Sheikh arrived earlier, Anubrata -- popularly known as 'Kesto' -- joined the meeting shortly before 1 pm. TMC heavyweights Subrata Bakshi and Firhad Hakim escorted both leaders to the state party office in Bhabanipur, where they were joined by senior leaders Ashish Banerjee and Aroop Biswas.

Sources said the meeting aimed to defuse long-standing tensions ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

"They were told to work together for the upcoming polls. Internal disagreements must be handled discreetly. Public spats are unacceptable," a senior leader present at the meeting said.

The leadership reportedly urged Mondal to maintain composure, particularly after a recent audio clip surfaced in which he was allegedly heard threatening a police officer and using abusive language targeting him and his family.

The audio clip caused widespread outrage and forced the party to go into damage-control mode. Anubrata later issued an apology as instructed by the party.

Saturday's meeting served a dual purpose -- set the tone for the July 21 mega-rally under Mamata Banerjee's singular leadership, and restore order in districts plagued by factionalism.