Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee will lead a one-day sit-in protest on June 2 at Rani Rashmoni Road in Kolkata against the alleged attacks on TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and party leaders and workers amid the ongoing political tensions in West Bengal.
The announcement comes after alleged attacks on TMC National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee and Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee. The party has also decided to hold statewide protests on June 1 at the ward, anchal and block levels.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly attacked in Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas while visiting families affected by post-poll violence. According to the party, Banerjee was assaulted with bricks, stones and eggs and sustained an injury to his eye. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee alleged that he was attacked near Chanditala Police Station in Hooghly district while on his way to submit a deputation regarding post-poll violence. Calling it an “attempt to murder”, Banerjee claimed BJP workers assaulted him outside the police station.
According to the party’s programme, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) will launch statewide protest rallies on Monday in connection with the alleged attacks carried out by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee.
On June 2, the party, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, will organise a sit-in protest at Rani Rashmoni Road over alleged post-poll violence and attacks on AITC leaders.
Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had called a meeting of party legislators and leaders at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata to discuss the party’s strategy following the alleged attacks on Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee. TMC leaders, including Kunal Ghosh, Shovon Deb Chattopadhyay, Naina Bandopadhyay and other MLAs, were expected to participate in the meeting.
However, the meeting was later cancelled after numerous legislators remained absent. According to party sources, around 60 MLAs did not attend the meeting. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said most of the legislators had informed the party that they would be unable to attend because they were engaged in protests against the violence in their respective areas and were assisting party workers who had allegedly faced attacks. The party subsequently asked the absent MLAs to remain in their constituencies, continue the protests and stay with affected workers, following which the meeting was cancelled for the day.
Bengal police on Sunday arrested five people in connection with the heckling of Abhishek Banerjee during his visit to Sonarpur. A case was also registered at Sonarpur Police Station in connection with the incident. West Bengal Police said all five arrested persons were local residents.
The arrests triggered a political confrontation, with the TMC describing the incident as a planned attack. The BJP, however, rejected the allegation and claimed that local residents were expressing their anger against the former ruling party’s leadership.
Reacting to the incidents, Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned what she described as BJP’s attempts to suppress dissenting voices and promote violent politics in West Bengal. In a Facebook post, she alleged that the people of the state were witnessing political bankruptcy and extreme violence.
Banerjee said the attack on Abhishek Banerjee was followed by an attack on Kalyan Banerjee, the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, and described the targeting of opposition public representatives as unfortunate, inhuman and a direct assault on democracy.
She said she visited Kalyan Banerjee’s residence after the attack and conveyed her solidarity and support. Banerjee also questioned the security of elected representatives, asking how ordinary citizens could feel safe if senior parliamentarians were allegedly not protected.
The TMC chief further alleged that under the guise of political vendetta, BJP was using what she called the false pretext of “spontaneous public anger” to deploy party-linked miscreants on the streets. She questioned whether such incidents were taking place with the tacit approval of the central leadership and alleged that physical attacks on opposition leaders were being carried out in the name of a “New India”.
Banerjee asserted that Bengal has always been a centre of culture, civility and healthy politics and said there was no place for hooliganism and violence in the state. She vowed to continue her fight against the alleged attacks both on the streets and through legal means and strongly condemned what she described as an inhuman and fascist mindset.
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Published By:
Akshat Trivedi
Published On:
May 31, 2026 17:35 IST
