The Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its Murshidabad MLA, Humayun Kabir, after he announced plans to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in the district. Party leaders said Kabir had been cautioned earlier about making provocative statements.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim confirmed the action, stating the party had little choice given Kabir’s recent remarks. “We noticed that one of our MLAs from Murshidabad suddenly declared that he would build the Babri masjid. Why suddenly Babri masjid? We already warned him,” Hakim said. “We believe in secular theory. As per the decision of our party, we are suspending MLA Humayun Kabir.”
Kabir had announced plans to lay the foundation stone of the structure on 6 December. According to reports, he is likely to resign from the Trinamool on Friday and launch his own organisation, through which he intends to continue with the project.
Hakim alleged that Kabir’s move aligned with divisive political strategies. “Why 6 December? Why did Kabir not choose another name? He can build a school or college in Murshidabad. We think this is the BJP’s policy in trying to divide Bengal by religious matters,” he said. “The BJP believes in divisional politics. BJP has played this type of card before elections. I think Kabir stepped up into this divisional politics,” said Firad Hakim.
The controversy has drawn the attention of Governor C. V. Ananda Bose, who questioned why no action had been taken if the comments were viewed as a threat to public order. “The reports I have received from the field, intelligence agencies, and local opinion leaders indicate that someone is deliberately trying to turn Murshidabad into a hub of scandal. This will not be allowed. If communal sentiments are stirred, the state and its government will not remain mute spectators,” he said.
Although Kabir has obtained permission for the 6 December event, officials said the administration remains on high alert in Murshidabad given the sensitivities involved. Shortly after his suspension was announced, Kabir withdrew from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally, where the party was protesting against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.
The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised Kabir’s comments, saying they were designed to inflame communal feelings. BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said, “I challenge them that if they have the courage, let them try to build a Babri Masjid-like structure in Murshidabad or anywhere in West Bengal. Such statements are being made only to create communal tension.” He added, “If memorials are raised in the name of Babar, Akbar, Shahjahan, or Aurangzeb, the outcome will inevitably lead to the same kind of dispute that the Babri Masjid faced.”
