Abhishek Banerjee warns Trinamool leaders against raising funds for July 21 Martyrs' Day event

KOLKATA: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday cautioned party leaders against raising funds for the Martyr's Day rally on July 21, and said anyone found violating the instructions will face disciplinary action.

The TMC MP on Friday held a meeting on preparations for the rally, to be held in Esplanade after a gap of two years, with senior party leaders, district presidents, and members of TMC's frontal organisations.

"During the meeting, Abhishek Banerjee asked everyone to ensure that no funds are raised by workers for the upcoming Martyr's Day rally. He warned of strict action against those caught violating the diktat. It could lead to expulsion from the party, too," a senior TMC leader said after the meeting.

The Diamond Harbour MP, also the nephew of Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, stressed the need for weeding out corrupt leaders from the party, the leader said.

"He told us that all expenses of the rally will be borne by the party organisation. We have been asked to ensure maximum participation of masses in the programme," the TMC leader said.

At a press conference, post the closed-door meeting, TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee stated the efforts will be made to bring more people from north Bengal to the rally.

"This time, we will break all records. We have asked our leaders to bring in more people from the north Bengal. We want maximum participation of common people at the July 21 rally," he said.

The TMC's focus on North Bengal comes amid the growing clamour for the creation of a separate state in the region by certain BJP MLAs, a demand which has been ruled out by the chief minister.

'Martyrs Day' is observed annually by TMC on July 21 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 voter card be made the only document to allow people to exercise their franchise.