The mosque is a tribute to the Babri Masjid and aimed at uniting the Muslim community in the state, Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir said
Team Clarion
KOLKATA – A mosque similar to Babri Masjid, demolished in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya in 1992, will be constructed in Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district by 2025, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Humayun Kabir has said.
Kabir represents the Bharatpur constituency in Muslim-majority Murshidabad in the state assembly. He stated that he plans to construct the mosque as a tribute to the Babri Masjid and aimed at uniting the Muslim community in the state. He said that the mosque would cater to the aspirations of West Bengal’s “34 per cent minority population.”
Media reports said opposition leaders condemned Kabir’s statement. BJP’s Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, accused the TMC of trying to polarise communities for political gain, calling the remarks “provocative” and demanding an explanation from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, also from Murshidabad, labelled the comment as “irresponsible” and “divisive.”
The TMC quickly distanced itself from Kabir’s remarks. A senior party leader clarified that his statement did not reflect the party’s views. Kabir, however, defended his position, insisting that the project was about preserving history rather than creating division. He explained that his comments were driven by the pain Muslims feel over the Babri Masjid’s demolition and expressed no intent to incite tension.
Kabir had earlier apologised to his party leadership for another controversial remark, accusing a “coterie” of influencing the chief minister’s decisions.
