Mamata takes out 'human chain' protest at Dharmatala against hawker eviction

Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee took to the streets of Kolkata once again on Wednesday, leading a massive protest march against the ongoing eviction of street hawkers. Walking through the heart of the city in Dharmatala, the "Kalighat Trinamool" chief was seen carrying a protest placard on her chest and actively mobilizing supporters to form a sprawling human chain. The high-profile demonstration stretching from key transit points like Sealdah to Howrah station marks her return to aggressive street politics on a highly sensitive socioeconomic issue.

Political experts view this sudden agitation as a strategic litmus test of Mamata Banerjee’s grassroots strength and organizational control. The move follows recent high-visibility protests by Left front leaders, including Sujan Chakraborty and Srijan Bhattacharya, who successfully garnered significant public support during a demonstration at Jadavpur station. Sensing that the Left is gaining fresh political "oxygen" by championing the livelihood of displaced roadside vendors, the former Chief Minister has engineered this counter-mobilization to reclaim her traditional pro-poor, pro-hawker political base.

Senior party loyalists, including Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen, marched shoulder-to-shoulder with the Trinamool leader through the crowded corridors of Dharmatala to display institutional solidarity. The march comes at a critical juncture when the party's rank and file are testing their collective endurance and public appeal following recent administrative and political shifts across the state. By physically leading the human chain, Banerjee aims to send a clear message to both her opponents and the remaining factions of her party that her street-fighting capabilities remain entirely intact.