Rebel TMC MLA vows to lay foundation stone for Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad

KOLKATA: Rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir is all set to lay the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid in Beldanga, Murshidabad district, a political hotbed with around 70% minority vote share in West Bengal, on December 6, the 33rd anniversary of the demolition of the historic mosque in Ayodhya in 1992. The move has prompted the BJP to allege that it is a sinister move of the ruling party in the state for electoral benefit ahead of the assembly elections scheduled in AprilMay next year. Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, along with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the partys national general secretary, is scheduled to lead a peace march in Kolkata on the same day. Humayun, MLA from Bharatpur constituency in Murshidabad, will head the foundation stone ceremony for the project, estimated at around Rs 125 crore, on 20 bighas of land in Beldanga. The project, which includes a Babri Masjid, a college, a hospital and a six-storied rest house, will come up on 20 bighas of land. I have already prepared invitation letters and will distribute them among dignitaries and guests, including political leaders from my own district, Murshidabad, only, to attend the programme on December 6, the MLA told the TNIE on Sunday. I dont need any approval from my party leadership for the initiative. I wont invite my party supremo or other leaders because they will be busy with another programme the same day in Kolkata. About a year ago, I announced the project to set up a Babri Masjid, and my party leadership is well aware of it. To avoid attending the programme, they have decided to participate in a peace march in the city, Humayun said. He added that the Muslim community across the country had assured him of financial support for the project, initiated by a trust the West Bengal Islamic Foundation of India where he serves as general secretary. Around 10% non-Muslims, mainly Hindus, will be part of the trust, he said. Humayuns move to set up the mosque has triggered a major political row in Bengal. Political analyst Prof Biswanath Chakraborty said, Murshidabad district has 70% Muslims, and Humayun Kabir knows their socio-economic problems. To mobilise vote banks ahead of the assembly polls, he has decided to set up the masjid in his home district. It is too early to comment on its political impact in the coming months until the project progresses and he makes any political decision. Rahul Sinha, veteran BJP leader and former state party president, said, He has been using such tactics to create pressure politics because he has been sidelined in the party for long. We are conveying messages to the general Muslim community, asking them to know their MLA like Humayun Kabir, who has been doing politics with mosques. TMC leaders, especially MLA Humayun Kabir, are known for the politics of hatred. He does politics purely for appeasement. He is intentionally creating communal tension in Bengal, Sinha added. The Bengal Imam Association (BIA) has also strongly opposed Humayuns move. He should clarify his political stand first. What was he doing when he was in the BJP and supported the partys communal agendas? While staying with the saffron camp, he was silent about the mosque. Now he is doing politics with Muslims for his personal gain, said Md Yahiya, chairman of the BIA. The chief minister, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, should immediately take action against him and stop the project. What is the necessity of setting up a mosque 33 years after the Babri Masjid demolition? he added. The Trinamool Congress has earlier suspended Humayun on several occasions for anti-party activities, particularly when he joined the BJP in 2019 for about two years. He later returned to the ruling party and was elected MLA from Bharatpur in the 2021 assembly polls.