The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday suspended Debra MLA Humayun Kabir after he made controversial remarks about constructing a mosque “modelled on the Babri Masjid” in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.
The party accused him of attempting to stoke communal tensions and suggested that he was being encouraged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kabir triggered a political storm earlier this week after declaring that he planned to lay the foundation stone for the proposed mosque in Beldanga on December 6 — the anniversary of the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
The demolition, carried out by Hindu extremists who claimed the site housed an ancient Ram temple, remains one of the most sensitive communal flashpoints in India. A Ram temple was inaugurated at the site on January 22, 2024, in a ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to reports, the TMC had issued multiple warnings to Kabir in the past.
Announcing his suspension, Kolkata Mayor and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim questioned the timing and intent behind the MLA’s 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.”
The TMC maintained that Kabir’s comments were not only irresponsible but deliberately provocative. Party leaders alleged that the MLA’s actions appeared to align with the BJP’s “political script” and accused the Opposition party of attempting to polarise the state ahead of upcoming elections.
The BJP, however, has not responded to the TMC’s allegations at the time of reporting.
The MLA has not yet issued a public statement on the disciplinary action.