The Trinamool Congress held a protest march in West Bengal on Tuesday. A large number of people participated in the demonstration.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led this march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) (commonly known as Voter List Verification).
The second phase of the SIR began on Tuesday in 12 states and union territories.
During this march, Mamata Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to intimidate voters in Bengal with the SIR.
Party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and a large number of party workers accompanied her in the 3.8-kilometer rally.
During the rally, Mamata Banerjee stated, "SIR is being used as a political weapon to quietly manipulate the voter list ahead of the 2026 assembly elections."
She further stated that just as not every Urdu-speaking person is Pakistani, not every Bengali-speaking person is Bangladeshi.
Rally included members of Matua community
The rally included several members of the Matua community, a group considered most vulnerable to the potential consequences of the voter list revision. Banerjee later invited these members to sit in the front row during her speech in Jorasanko.
A song written by the Chief Minister was also played on speakers during the rally. It had been released on X a day earlier.
Minister and singer Indranil Sen sang the song, titled "Jot Bandho/Bandh Vango" (Unite and Break Barriers), urging citizens not to succumb to fear or accept alleged attempts to disenfranchise them.
Mamata Banerjee described the song as her party's "voice of protest" against the BJP's "conspiracy to usurp people's rights."
The route chosen for the march was clearly symbolic. It began at the statue of Shri Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, and ended at the home of Gurudev Tagore, who represents the cultural soul of Bengal.
State Women and Child Welfare Minister Shashi Panja said, "People are being harassed in the name of SIR. We are not against updating the voter list, but the process has been turned into a political weapon to intimidate the poor. We will stand with the people."
Jamaat rally: Suvendu Adhikari
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, described Mamata Banerjee's march as a Jamaat rally. He said, "It violates the moral principles of the Indian Constitution." Meanwhile, Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya said, "If Mamata Banerjee has anything to say, she should approach the Supreme Court."