The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) will launch street protests in Kolkata on May 21, 2026 [1], to oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) bulldozer actions.
These demonstrations signal a deepening conflict between the two dominant political forces in West Bengal. The dispute centers on the use of heavy machinery to demolish structures, which the TMC said is a tool of intimidation rather than urban governance.
The protests will take place in the streets near the New Market area of Kolkata [3]. The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, said that the BJP's policy of using bulldozers specifically targets hawkers, minority communities, and the offices of opposition parties [2, 3].
According to the TMC, these actions cause homelessness for the poor and serve as a means of harassment [2, 3]. The party said this approach is a "bulldozer culture" that bypasses legal due process to penalize specific social and political groups [1].
This political friction occurs against the backdrop of the state's complex electoral landscape, which includes 293 assembly constituencies [4]. The TMC aims to mobilize public sentiment against the BJP's administrative methods, framing the demolitions as an attack on the marginalized [2].
The party has not released a specific number of expected attendees, but the focus remains on the New Market area, where the impact of these demolitions on local vendors, and hawkers is most visible [3].
“TMC will launch street protests against the BJP's 'bulldozer action'”
The escalation of street protests over 'bulldozer justice' reflects a broader ideological battle in India regarding the rule of law and executive power. By framing the BJP's demolitions as targeted persecution of minorities and the poor, the TMC is attempting to consolidate its base among marginalized voters and opposition supporters in West Bengal.
