TMC women’s wing marks 79th Constituent Assembly Anniversary with rally in Kolkata

The Trinamool Mahila Congress on Tuesday held a rally in central Kolkata to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly, using the occasion to reaffirm its pledge to “protect the rights of Bengal”.

Led by state Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and cabinet minister Shashi Panja, the march began at the Academy of Fine Arts and moved towards Dharmatala. Several Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors and members of the mayor-in-council joined the demonstration.

Participants carried placards with slogans such as “Take an oath to protect the rights of Bengal” and “Join together, get ready,” projecting the event as a defence of state rights and constitutional values.

Panja said the march was meant to remind citizens of the historic first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on December 9, 1946. “The Constitution is our protective armour,” she said, accusing the Centre of withholding development funds and depriving West Bengal of its rightful dues.

The TMC leadership reiterated allegations that the BJP was attempting to “occupy Bengal” through administrative and political means. They claimed that mechanisms like SIR and stringent documentation requirements were being used to “harass people,” and charged the Centre with undermining cooperative federalism.

Party leaders asserted that the BJP’s priority was to “grab power by hook or by crook,” vowing to continue their campaign to safeguard constitutional values and state rights.