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Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir has been suspended from the party after insisting that he would lay the foundation stone of a mosque on the lines of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad on December 6 – a move that sparked political tension, security concerns and a rebuke from the senior TMC leadership. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim confirmed the suspension on Thursday, saying the party had already warned Kabir about his statements.
Why was Humayun Kabir suspended from TMC?
Announcing the disciplinary action, Firhad Hakim said, “We saw that one of our MLAs from Murshidabad suddenly announced that he will build Babri Masjid. Why suddenly Babri Masjid? We had already warned him. As per the decision of our party TMC, we are suspending MLA Humayun Kabir.”
Kabir’s announcement of laying the foundation stone on December 6 – the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 – was seen as a politically charged move, especially in a district with a high minority population. His choice of date also clashed with TMC’s observance of Sanghati Diwas, an anti-communal commemoration day.
The Calcutta High Court will hear on Friday a PIL related to Kabir’s remarks, with the matter being listed before the Chief Justice’s division bench.
Humayun Kabir will resign from TMC, announce new party
Humayun Kabir said on Thursday that he will resign from the party tomorrow and may also announce his party on December 22.
“I will resign from TMC tomorrow. If needed, I will announce the new party on December 22,” the suspended party leader told reporters here.
Kabir said that he was called for the meeting by the party district president.
“I have come here for a meeting with the district president, I will respond later. But I have been suspended from the party, not as an MLA, let the meeting happen first,” he told reporters here.
What did Kabir actually announce – and why did it create tension?
Challenging both the Raj Bhavan and the TMC leadership, Kabir on Wednesday reiterated that he will go ahead with the foundation stone laying ceremony at Beldanga.
He warned that any attempt to stop the event would provoke mass mobilization:
“If the administration tries to stop us, the highway from Rezinagar to Behrampur will be blocked. My message is simple – don’t play with fire.”
Kabir insisted that his program was protected “under constitutional rights” and claimed that it could attract “millions” of supporters. He also said that 2,000 volunteers would be present to ensure that “no inconvenience is caused to any community”, mysteriously adding that there would be “surprises” at the event.
His comments come after Governor CV Anand Bose wrote a letter to the state government expressing concern about possible law and order disturbances. Kabir described the letter as “baseless”, “politically coloured” and “out of constitutional discipline”.
“He is not an elected person. Law and order is the responsibility of the state government. His fear is meaningless, his advice is unnecessary,” he said.
Posters announcing the foundation stone laying ceremony had appeared in Beldanga earlier in the week, which were torn down, escalating local tension.
How has the Murshidabad administration responded?
Murshidabad administration has not given permission for the program. Officials said the law and order review is ongoing.
Police sources described the symbolism of the “Babri Masjid” label as “high risk”, noting that “even a peaceful ceremony can become a point of contention, depending on who tries to justify or protest against it.”
How are political parties reacting?
TMC publicly played down Kabir’s plans, but the internal uneasiness was evident.
Minister of State and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Siddiqullah Chaudhary said:
“Calling a mosque after Babri Masjid or laying its foundation stone will not solve Muslim issues. The name will be decided by Islamic scholars. This seems to be an attempt to attract attention by provoking sentiments.”
BJP accused the ruling party of provoking Kabir.
State BJP leader Keya Ghosh said:
“TMC wants communal tension. They are deliberately letting the situation escalate to serve their interests of polarization before the elections.”
CPI(M) took aim at political opportunism in all parties.
CPI(M)’s Saikat Giri commented: “One leader (Suvendu Adhikari) was in TMC till 2020, is now in BJP and is calling for Hindu mobilization. The other was in BJP (Kabir) till 2019, is now in TMC and is calling for Muslims to unite behind him. This is the politics of Bengal.”
Who is Humayun Kabir – and why has he clashed with TMC before?
Kabir’s political history is marked by frequent changes. A close aide of former Congress leader and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, he joined TMC in 2012 and served as the Animal Resources Development Minister for some time. He lost the Rejinagar by-election in 2013, which led to his ouster from the cabinet.
He was expelled from TMC for six years in 2015. At the time, then General Secretary Partha Chatterjee said:
“Humayun Kabir, who had already been issued a show cause notice, was expelled from the party for six years for continuously making anti-party statements.”
Kabir replied: “It was inevitable because he did not like my comments. The truth is always unpleasant.”
Recently, he reignited controversy by accusing senior TMC leader Indranil Sen of extortion and alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was grooming her nephew Abhishek Banerjee to replace him. He predicted “a lot of defections from the party”.
TMC leaders in Murshidabad say Kabir has long behaved like an “independent agent”, ignoring repeated warnings – making this week’s suspension the culmination of years of friction.
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