ON April 20, despite the sweltering heat, the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata was packed with thousands of workers, farmers, agricultural labourers, and slum dwellers who had gathered for a historic rally organised by four major mass organisations: CITU, the Kisan Sabha, Paschim Banga Basti Unnayan Samiti, and the AIAWU.CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim, addressing the gathering, underscored the increasing role of toiling people in reshaping Bengal’s future and emphasized that only a revitalised Left movement could offer a path forward.