West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh targets Mamata Banerjee over Shaheed Diwas: ‘You stand alone’

West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh on Monday took a swipe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the state's Shaheed Diwas observance, saying that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo now "stands alone" politically.

Ghosh's remarks came as political leaders across West Bengal marked the annual event, which has long been a key date in the TMC's political calendar. His comments are the latest in a series of exchanges between the BJP and the ruling TMC, with both parties stepping up their campaigns ahead of next year's Assembly elections.

'You stand alone,' says Ghosh

Addressing reporters, Ghosh criticised Mamata Banerjee's leadership and claimed that many of her former political allies had distanced themselves from the TMC.

Using the phrase "You stand alone," the BJP leader suggested that the Chief Minister was becoming increasingly isolated amid growing political challenges in the state.

The TMC has not immediately responded to Ghosh's remarks.

Shaheed Diwas remains a key political event

Observed every year on July 21, Shaheed Diwas commemorates the 13 people who were killed during a Youth Congress rally in Kolkata in 1993. Since the formation of the TMC, the day has evolved into one of the party's biggest annual political events, drawing workers and leaders from across West Bengal.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee traditionally addresses a large public gathering on the occasion, outlining the party's political roadmap and taking aim at the BJP-led Centre.

Political battle intensifies

The exchange between Ghosh and Banerjee reflects the increasingly confrontational political atmosphere in West Bengal, where the BJP and TMC remain locked in a fierce contest.

With the 2026 Assembly elections approaching, both parties have intensified their outreach programmes, public rallies and attacks on one another over governance, law and order, corruption and development.

Political observers expect the campaign to gather further momentum in the coming months as both sides seek to consolidate their support base.

Focus shifts to election narrative

Shaheed Diwas has often served as a platform for major political messaging in West Bengal, and this year's event was no exception.

As leaders from both camps sharpen their rhetoric, the latest comments by Dilip Ghosh underscore how the state's political discourse is increasingly centred on the battle for the next Assembly election.