At Martyrs' Day, Banerjee Reigns Supreme West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee may be gaining a reputation nationally as one of the country's most difficult politicians, but in her home state, large, adulatory crowds still gather to hear her speak. At least 600,000 Trinamool Congress supporters crammed into the square in front of Statesman House on Saturday, according to official police estimates. They came from across West Bengal to commemorate what the political party calls Martyrs' Day. People began occupying the square in front of the building in central Kolkata from the early morning. By 10 a.m., it was standing room only. At 11, the march of party workers and labor unions began, radiating out one kilometer, or about half a mile, in every direction from the rally site. Traffic came to a standstill. Horns blared over the sound of drums and party slogans. Patriotic Bengali songs were piped through speakers along the parade route. In the square, hawkers took advantage of the celebratory mood, selling souvenirs. Kulfi and Popsicle sellers gathered to peddle their wares to early arrivals baking in the summer heat. Hats and headbands in the party colors and key chains with Ms. Bannerjee's face on them were for sale. "Every year it is like this," said Bisaa Pramanchic, 40, a party worker from Salanpur. He has been to every Martyrs' Day, including the first march from which the rally derives its name. On July 21, 1993, Mamata Bannerjee led a group of Congress Party supporters in a march on the seat of the West Bengal government. She was then the president of the local youth wing of the party. The march ended in violence when the police opened fire, killing 13 and wounding hundreds. That event made Ms. Bannerjee one of West Bengal's leading anti-Communist leaders, and spurred her to eventually form her own political party, the Trinamool Congress. Since 1998, Martyrs' Day has been used a show of party strength. For the past several years, as Ms. Bannerjee's popularity soared, two million to three million people attended the Martyrs' Day rally annually. The result is something of a carnival atmosphere. Jagannath Mahali, 32, and Nimi Mahato, 26, showed their devotion to their political party in a manner usually reserved for sports fans. They came painted head-to-toe in the Trinamool Congress colors. On the back of their head were the letters TMC, as the party is also called, spelled in what was left of their hair. "Long live the TMC," they shouted as they posed for photos.