Intense politics at play in Kolkata with three congregations in close proximity on March 29

A politically-charged situation has emerged in Kolkata with three congregations taking place in the heart of the city – close to Shahid Minar, Esplanade – on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been vocal against the state being allegedly deprived by the Centre through freeze of funds, will be sitting on a two-day dharna near BR Ambedkar’s statue on Red Road – the stretch where the Republic Day programme, Eid prayers, and Durga Puja carnival take place.

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Barely 600 metres from Banerjee’s location, at Shaheed Minar at Esplanade, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool’s national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP, will be addressing a gathering of party’s youth and students’ wings. This concerns “Central government’s anti-people policies & withholding funds outstanding to Bengal under various heads”.

One hundred metres from this venue, is the spot where a section of government employees have been sitting on a protest demanding enhanced dearness allowance.

The BJP in Bengal took to the streets, on Tuesday, with a pro-farmers rally, to highlight the problems of potato-farmers. Suvendu Adhikari, BJP’s leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, who participated in the rally, later claimed that West Bengal will not get any central funds for the financial year 2023-24, for public schemes, namely the 100-day job scheme, housing, and for construction of toilets and roads.

He referred to “imposition of section 27 in West Bengal”, adding it means “financial embargo due to huge corruption”. The central panchayat and rural development, and finance departments have put a seal, he said, and it’s the only state government in the country to have this status.

Adhikari said that on March 30, there’s a mass gathering of workers-teachers (DA-protesters) at Shaheed Minar, and he has been invited, and he will attend. He added that he is apprehensive and afraid about the people who will come for the adjoining political rally, and said that if they disturb the protesting workers, the state will come to a standstill from the evening.

Launching a state government-funded scheme for rural roads, in Singur, the chief minister regretted the support the state had offered for (implementation of) GST, saying that the states were supposed to get benefitted from it.