TMC gears up for July 21 rally

KOLKATA: For the average Trinamool flag-bearers reaching Sealdah and Kolkata railway stations and heading for their makeshift accommodation at Salt Lake stadium, the symbolism is unmistakable. Mukul Roy, always the go-to man for the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally, isn’t there this time.
If it was Roy earlier, now it is Abhishek Banerjee. But, Abhishek’s “Kishenji” gaffe at Belpahari couldn’t have come at a worse time.Increasing the embarrassment, Mukul was quick to rub salt in the wound dubbing him as “bachha chele”. Mukul won’t be attending the July 21 rally on Tuesday, a first since Trinamool’s formation nearly a decade-and-a-half back.
The change is visible everywhere. From a YouTube clip to party national secretary’s “Khuti Pujo” to the massive stage that will have no separate enclosure for the “shahid pariwar” (martyrs’ kin), everything aims to break a status quo. “This is going to be the last July 21 rally before the 2016 assembly polls. In fact, all MPs are skipping the opening Parliament monsoon session to be present there. Everyone’s keen to know the party supremo’s direction to the leaders and supporters. It’s going to set the stage for the assembly polls,” said a senior Lok Sabha MP. Therefore, LED screens are not only coming up at Jyoti cinema hall and Y-channel atop mobile vans, they can also be seen near the Grand Hotel, Chandni Chowk Metro station, Dorina Crossing and Park Street.
According to a senior party leader, the first row in the stage will accommodate only chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her “special invitees”. A source said invitations have been sent by the chief minister herself and senior ministers to at least 100 people. For the first time, according to MLA Nirmal Maji, a six-bedded fully equipped mobile hospital will be stationed at the Metro Channel. Over 200 doctors and 300 Ayurveda, unani and homeopathic practitioners will also be kept as standby.