Suspended TMC MLA Kabir lays Babri Masjid foundation stone in Murshidabad, says he’s ‘not doing anything unconstitutional’

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir lays the foundation stone of Babri Masjid. (Photo: ANI)

Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday laid the foundation stone for what he called the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, declaring that “no one can move a single brick” because Bengal’s Muslim population will build it “at any cost.”

Addressing the gathering, Kabir argued that he was exercising a constitutional right. “I am not doing anything unconstitutional. Anyone can build a temple or a church; I will build a mosque,” he said. He added that the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict acknowledged the demolition of the Babri Masjid and said that nothing in the ruling prevents the construction of a mosque elsewhere.

Kabir said legal cases would not deter him. “Five cases have been filed against me, but no one can stop someone with whom Allah is. The court has clearly stated that the Constitution allows one to build a mosque; it is a right,” he said.

He also questioned why Muslims in Bengal could not reclaim the name Babri Masjid. “There are four crore Muslims in Bengal. Don’t they have the right to build the Babri Masjid? Threats have been made against me, even by a former chief minister. If anyone has the courage, let them come to Murshidabad and show it,” he said.

Kabir claimed that a Rs 300-crore budget has been set aside for the project, which would include a hospital, guesthouse, and meeting hall. He reiterated his pledge: “The Babri Masjid will be built, it will be built, it will be built.”

The BJP, meanwhile, accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of allowing deliberate religious polarisation by not acting sooner against Kabir. The party argued that his past statements threatening Hindus should have prompted immediate suspension and alleged that political calculations, not religious sentiment, drove the move.

*With Agency inputs