Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir on Wednesday commenced construction of a Babri Masjid replica mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad, triggering a political slugfest ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
Kabir, now chairman of the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP), began the formal construction process with Quran recitation at around 1 pm. Kabir placed coins and silver bars with sacred inscriptions at the site and put two-three spades of cement mixture to mark the start of construction.
Thousands of locals and supporters from other districts gathered at the site, with many participating in the recitation.
According to Kabir, the mosque’s construction, initially set to be completed in three years, will now be finished in two years by a private company from Kerala at an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore.
“The mosque’s main gate is planned to be 14 metres high and 5 metres wide, with an estimated construction cost of around Rs 5 crore,” Kabir said.
He had previously also announced a ‘Babri Yatra’, to raise awareness about the project. The rally was slated to begin on Thursday from Palashi in Nadia district and travel 265 kilometres to Itahar in the Uttar Dinajpur district.
According to Kabir, the mosque’s construction, initially set to be completed in three years, will now be finished in two years by a private company from Kerala at an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore.
According to organisers, 100 vehicles were likely to participate in the yatra, with six people in each vehicle, taking the total number of participants to around 600.
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However, the rally has been postponed due to the state board Higher Secondary (Class 12) examinations.
Instead, he will hold a 22-km march on Thursday from Palashi to Beldanga.
“The Malda police requested us that since the HS examinations are set to begin from tomorrow, to postpone it for Saturday or Sunday. But we decided that we will hold a smaller rally from Palashi to Beldanga, the construction site,” Kabir told media persons.
Hitting out at the TMC, Kabir said, “If I had remained in TMC, they would have benefitted from the Babri Masjid construction and got more votes.”
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He also targeted the BJP, saying, “BJP has built the Ram Mandir and is getting benefits. It is increasing its vote bank in Bengal by speaking for Sanatanis, but I will not allow that to happen.”
Meanwhile, BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya claimed, “Who is Humayun Kabir? He is still with the TMC. This is TMC’s plan B. TMC is trying to get the Muslim votes from the back door and they will make Kabir deputy CM. Bengal was divided once and that is how West Bengal was formed, now it is being turned into Bangladesh, they are making the entire environment into mini Pakistan so against this all the Hindus of the country should unite.”
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said, “TMC does not want to benefit from communal politics. The minorities are not a fool, this is the same Humayun Kabir, who had got a ticket from the BJP previously from Murshidabad and it was that party which had demolished the Babri Masjid. Kabir needs to decide which is his true face and which is his mask. Votes are nearing and this is cheap drama that he is doing to stay afloat.”
Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque, modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid, on December 6, last year. His party aims to counter alleged misinformation surrounding the mosque’s construction.
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The TMC MLA from Bharatpur was earlier suspended from the Trinamool Congress for allegedly carrying out anti-party activities, following which he floated his own outfit.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
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According to Kabir, the mosque’s construction, initially set to be completed in three years, will now be finished in two years by a private company from Kerala at an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore.