Suspended TMC MLA lays 'Babri-style' mosque foundation in Bengal

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhyas Babri Masjid at Rejinagar in West Bengals Murshidabad district escalating political temperatures in the state where the assembly elections are due next yearAmid a heavy deployment of state police RAF and central forces Kabir alongside visiting Islamic clerics cut a ceremonial ribbon on a sprawling stage at Rejinagar even as the actual mosque construction site was nearly a kilometre away from the venueSlogans of NaraeTakbeer Allahu Akbar rent the air as thousands many of them carrying bricks on their heads as symbolic offerings surged into the venue from the early morningThe event was scheduled on December 6 the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992 a choice that has lent the ceremony both emotive charge and sharp political edgeSecurity was tightened not only in Rejinagar but also across the adjoining Beldanga belt which the administration effectively turned into a highsecurity zone in anticipation of crowd spillovers and possible flareupsKabir who was suspended by the Trinamool Congress earlier this week on charges of indulging in communal politics struck a defiant tone from the stage repeatedly asserting that the proposed structure would come up at any costI am doing nothing unconstitutional Building a place of worship is a constitutional right Babri Masjid will be built he told the gatheringHe claimed that the project would not face any financial hurdlesAn industrialist who does not want to be named has promised Rs 80 crore There will be no shortage of funds Kabir said adding that the main mosque would be constructed on three kathas of land while the total complex would spread across nearly 25 bighasUnveiling an expansive vision for the site Kabir announced that the complex would also house a hospital a medical college a university a hotel and a helipad with the total projected investment pegged at around Rs 300 croreA local doctor he said had already donated Rs 1 crore for the projectReligious leaders from Saudi Arabia were present on the dais lending a transnational religious presenceAs Quranic recitations echoed from loudspeakers supporters raised bricks aloft as imaarati khairat symbolic construction donations before handing them over to volunteers near the stageKabir repeatedly framed the project as both a religious and emotional redressThirtythree years ago a deep wound was inflicted on the hearts of Muslims Today we are applying a small balm to that wound he said while alleging that threats had been issued against him over the announcement of the mosqueThe suspended MLA also invoked demography to buttress his argumentThere are 40 crore Muslims in this country four crore in this state Can we not build one mosque here he asked drawing loud applause from the packed crowdThe spectacle however has triggered sharp political reactions across party linesThe BJP accused the TMC of covertly encouraging polarisation ahead of the 2026 assembly elections even as the ruling party distanced itself from Kabirs actions citing his suspension as proof that it does not endorse his politicsSenior TMC leaders described Kabir as a free agent whose defiance had become politically untenableThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever