Siliguri, July 09 (Siliguri Chronicle) – The BJP is planning to hold a march to Uttarkanya, the North Bengal branch secretariat in Siliguri, on July 21. On the same day, the Trinamul Congress will organise its large Martyrs’ Day rally in Calcutta.
Although the police have not given permission for the BJP’s march, the party has decided to go ahead with it. Dipak Barman, the BJP’s north Bengal convener, said they will mobilise a large number of supporters for the event.
“More than 10,000 party workers from Siliguri, Darjeeling, and Jalpaiguri will gather for the protest. We have been denied permission by the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, but we will not reschedule the programme,” Barman said on Tuesday.
The protest will be organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP. It will focus on several key issues, including crimes against women, the recent controversies at RG Kar Medical College and Kasba Law College, and the alleged scam related to the School Service Commission.
Notably, the BJP has chosen July 21—the same day as Trinamool’s major Martyrs’ Day rally in Calcutta—to assert its political strength in north Bengal, a region where the party has a solid support base. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP won 30 out of 54 seats in north Bengal, while Trinamool managed to secure 23.
A political observer said: “By organising a parallel programme in Siliguri, the BJP is seeking to consolidate its support and highlight key grievances ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.”
Sankar Ghosh, the BJP MLA from Siliguri, criticised the police for what he called a “deliberate denial” of permission to hold the protest. “The march is focused on women’s safety and related issues. Yet, we are facing administrative resistance. This pattern of denial has been repeatedly observed whenever the BJP tries to organise protests,” Ghosh said.
Palen Ghosh, president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), said the party has filed a petition with the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court, seeking permission to hold the rally. “After permission being denied by the Siliguri police, we have approached the court to ensure that our democratic right to protest is upheld,” he said.
