The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday suspended party MLA Humayun Kabir, days after he 'vowed' to build a replica of the Babri Masjid in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. In a statement, the party led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the TMC leadership had warned Kabir against making such controversial remark.
Last month, Kabir said he would lay the foundation stone for a replica of a Babri Masjid in Murshidabad's Beldanga on December 6, the day when the original mosque was demolished in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. He had said that the mosque may take three months to get completed.
"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. As per the decision of our party, TMC, we are suspending MLA Humayun Kabir," Firhad Hakim, TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Following his suspension from the TMC, Kabir said he will float a new party next month and will field candidates on 135 seats in next year's assembly elections in West Bengal. "I will resign from TMC tomorrow. If required, I will announce a new party on 22nd December," Kabir, MLA from the Debra Assembly constituency in West Bengal, was quoted as saying by ANI.
Kabir's remark had given fodder to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack the TMC ahead of 2026 West Bengal elections, alleging that Banerjee's party is engaged in vote bank politics. The saffron party also alleged that the TMC is backing the Bangladeshi infiltrators. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also criticised the TMC and said Kabir's remark shows the party's "ideological fluidity".
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose warned of action against Kabir if his remark posed threat to law and order in the state.
