Triggers political storm by publicly declaring his intention
TNR News Network
NEW DELHI:
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, hours after he triggered a political storm by publicly declaring his intention to build a “Babri Masjid” in Murshidabad’s Beldanga and lay its foundation stone on December 6, the date synonymous with the demolition of the 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya.
Kabir, known for repeatedly embarrassing the ruling West Bengal party with provocative remarks and frequent rebellions, had insisted the event would go ahead despite objections from within the TMC. His announcement immediately sparked outrage, prompting the party’s top leadership to distance itself swiftly.
TMC calls it ‘gross indiscipline’, says Kabir pushed communal faultlines
A senior TMC leader said the MLA had crossed a red line at a time when the government was trying to preserve communal harmony in the state.
“Kabir has indulged in communal politics, something the Trinamool Congress fundamentally opposes. He has violated party discipline and will have no association with the TMC from this moment,” he said.
The suspension was declared while Kabir himself was present in Baharampur, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to address a rally, a move many within the party interpreted as a message intended to publicly isolate him.
Kabir hits back: Calls it ‘humiliation’, plans resignation and new party
Responding to the action, Kabir told reporters that the suspension was a “deliberate humiliation” designed to silence him. He said he would resign as an MLA and formally launch a new political outfit on December 22 from Murshidabad. The new party, he claimed, would contest 135 seats in next year’s Assembly elections.
Vowing to “expose the TMC’s doublespeak on secularism”, Kabir accused the ruling party of deceiving minorities while maintaining a “tacit understanding” with the BJP and the RSS. He insisted that the December 6 event — the proposed mosque foundation ceremony — would not be cancelled under any circumstances.
“If the administration stops me, I will sit on a dharna and get arrested. I have complete faith in the judiciary,” he said, predicting that “lakhs” would join the programme, even if it means blocking NH-12.
Kabir has been a serial party-hopper, having previously been in the Congress and the BJP, before joining the TMC. The BJP seized on the controversy, with state unit president Samik Bhattacharya calling the suspension a “drama” and alleging, “The TMC wants to bring the rule of Babur to Bengal.”
Background: Why December 6 is a flashpoint
Kabir’s choice of December 6 is laden with historical and communal sensitivity. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya believed by many Hindus to stand on the birthplace of Lord Ram, was demolished by kar sevaks mobilised by right-wing groups. The demolition sparked some of the worst communal riots independent India has witnessed, polarising national politics for decades.
The long legal battle that followed culminated in a landmark Supreme Court verdict in 2019, which handed the disputed site to a trust for the construction of a Ram temple and ordered an alternative site for a mosque.
Given this backdrop, Kabir’s attempt to organise a symbolic “Babri Masjid” ceremony on the same date — that too in a politically charged environment — was seen by many as provocative and potentially inflammatory.
