With a clear focus on the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and amid growing allegations of harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant labourers in BJP-ruled states, including claims that some were pushed into Bangladesh, the Trinamul Congress (TMC) has planned a special outreach programme in Malda.
TMC national general secretary and the party’s second-in-command, Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, will hold an exclusive meeting with migrant workers and labourers in Malda on 8 January. The meeting, to be held at the Jalanga Football Ground in Old Malda, will focus entirely on the concerns, safety, and rights of migrant workers from the district.
According to Malda district TMC president Abdur Rahim Boxi, Abhishek Banerjee will arrive in Malda on 7 January from Raiganj in North Dinajpur after attending another political programme there.
Ahead of the rally, the district TMC leadership convened a preparatory meeting on Monday to finalise organisational and logistical arrangements. It was decided that the 8 January programme would be a dedicated interaction with migrant workers, making it a politically significant event as the party sharpens its campaign narrative ahead of the Assembly polls.
The preparatory meeting was attended by minister of state Sabina Yasmin, district president Abdur Rahim Boxi, vice-president Prasun Banerjee, district chairperson Chaitali Ghosh Sarkar, zilla parishad sabhadhipati Lipika Barman Ghosh, along with other senior party leaders.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Boxi said that nearly 2,500 migrant workers from Malda have allegedly faced harassment and torture in BJP-ruled states.
“Our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has expressed his desire to directly interact with these workers. The central theme of the rally will be the plight of migrant labourers,” Boxi said.
He added that the party plans to invite migrant workers, who were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by other states with the involvement of the Border Security Force (BSF).
“We are making arrangements to bring those affected workers to the meeting so that their voices can be heard,” Boxi said.
The Malda TMC leadership appears both energised and determined as Abhishek Banerjee’s visit is being seen as a potential launch pad for the party’s Assembly election campaign in the district. This comes in the backdrop of a recent massive rally held by the Leader of Opposition at Chanchal in North Malda, where sharp attacks were made against several TMC leaders and MLAs, along with a challenge that the party would fail to retain its eight Assembly seats in the district.
Adding to the political churn, Malda TMC leaders were left unsettled after Mausam Noor ~ Rajya Sabha MP on a TMC ticket and niece of late Congress stalwart ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury ~ resigned from the party and rejoined the Congress.
Although the TMC had held a parallel meeting at Chanchal on the same day, party leaders believe Abhishek Banerjee’s Malda rally will help counter the Opposition narrative and provide a strong political response, including addressing the implications of Mausam Noor’s return to the Congress.
A section of the TMC leadership has also begun alleging that Mausam Noor may indirectly work in favour of the BJP during the Assembly elections, a claim that has added further intensity to the district’s political atmosphere.
It may be noted that Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to visit North Bengal again in the third week of January, following a political programme in Cooch Behar on 13 January.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to visit Siliguri to lay the foundation stone of the Mahakal Temple and may also attend the inauguration of the new Circuit Bench building of the Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri on 17 January.
Significantly, the Prime Minister is tentatively scheduled to visit Malda on 18 January, setting the stage for a high-voltage political showdown in the region in the weeks ahead.