Mamata Banerjee will lead a one-day sit-in at Rani Rashmoni Road in central Kolkata on June 2 as the Trinamool Congress seeks to turn alleged attacks on two of its senior MPs into a wider campaign against political violence after its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election.
The protest comes after separate incidents involving TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour MP, and Kalyan Banerjee, the Serampore MP and the party’s Lok Sabha chief whip. The Trinamool leadership has accused BJP-backed groups of targeting its elected representatives and workers since the change of government in the state. The BJP has rejected the allegations, arguing that the incidents reflect disorder within the TMC’s own ranks rather than attacks by its cadres.
The June 2 dharna is expected to become the opposition party’s first major street mobilisation since the Assembly verdict, which ended Mamata Banerjee’s long hold over the state government. The BJP won 207 of the 294 seats, while the TMC was reduced to 80, leaving Banerjee to reorganise the party as it adjusts to opposition politics after years in office.
Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly attacked during a visit to Sonarpur on the southern edge of Kolkata on Saturday. Eggs, stones and shoes were reportedly hurled at him by a mob, while his spectacles were broken and his shirt was torn during the chaos. Police have arrested five people in connection with the incident, including a TMC worker linked to arrangements for the programme. The arrest has allowed the BJP to claim that the assault was linked to factional rivalry inside the Trinamool camp.
The second incident involved Kalyan Banerjee, who alleged that he was mobbed and injured near Chanditala police station in Hooghly district when he went to submit a deputation protesting arrests of TMC workers after the election. Banerjee claimed he was hit on the head in the presence of police personnel. Officials said a formal complaint had not been registered at the time and that the area was under police deployment, adding another layer of dispute to the rival political accounts.
Mamata Banerjee visited Kalyan Banerjee after the incident and sharpened her attack on the ruling party, accusing it of allowing intimidation to replace democratic practice. The TMC has framed the two episodes as evidence of a deteriorating law-and-order environment under the new BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Party leaders are also expected to use the dharna to raise alleged attacks on local workers, party offices and elected representatives across districts.
The BJP has pushed back strongly. Its leaders have accused the TMC of attempting to deflect attention from its electoral defeat and internal tensions. They have also cited the arrest of a TMC-linked person in the Abhishek Banerjee case to argue that the party’s allegations against the BJP are politically motivated. The ruling party has maintained that the state administration is acting according to law and that all complaints of violence will be examined through police procedures.
The confrontation has also exposed pressure within the TMC. A scheduled meeting of newly elected party legislators at Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence was called off after only 20 of the party’s 80 MLAs attended. The TMC said many legislators were engaged in urgent ground-level protests and organisational work after the alleged attacks. The poor turnout nevertheless triggered speculation over morale and cohesion inside the party after its loss of power.
The dharna at Rani Rashmoni Road carries symbolic value for Banerjee, who built much of her political image through street protests and prolonged agitations before bringing the TMC to power in 2011. Her return to a protest platform signals an attempt to reposition the party as a combative opposition force while keeping the focus on political violence, arrests and the treatment of its workers.
