A major political controversy has erupted in West Bengal after Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir announced that the โfoundation stone of the Babri Masjidโ would be laid on December 6 in Beldanga, Murshidabad district, deliberately coinciding with the 33rd anniversary of the mosqueโs demolition in Ayodhya.
Speaking to national media, Kabir confirmed the plan and said the construction would take three years, with several prominent Muslim leaders expected to participate.ย โWe will lay the foundation stone of Babri Masjid on 6th December in Beldanga, Murshidabad district. It will take three years to complete. Various Muslim leaders will participate in that event,โ Kabir told the news agency.
The announcement triggered a fierce backlash from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of stoking communal sentiments ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.ย BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia described the move as โthe height of criminal politicsโ and claimed it was being done with the full approval of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
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โThe height of criminal politics is this: that when every Indian, every Hindu, is rejoicing a magnificent Ram temple at Ayodhya, Humayun Kabir announces, as per the wishes of Mamata Banerjee, that there would be construction of a Babri Masjid in West Bengal starting from December 6. This clearly reflects the kind of hatred that Mamata Banerjee has for Hindus and the love that she has for illegal immigrants. Mamata Banerjeeโs thinking and ideology are deplorable and worrisome,โ Bhatia said.
He further labelled Mamata Banerjee โthe epitome of communal politics and appeasement politicsโ and asserted that she was aware of her impending electoral defeat.
โIt is unfortunate that there is a leader in India, Mamata Banerjee, who has become the epitome of communal politics and appeasement politics. Mamata Banerjee is afraid and scared, as she is well aware that she is going to lose the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal,โ the BJP leader said.
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Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar also condemned the statement, saying Bengalโs Hindus should view it as a deliberate attempt to intimidate them and disrupt communal harmony.ย โThe Hindus of Bengal should take this as a message of how people like him, backed by Mamata Banerjee, are trying to intimidate Hindus and preparing to destroy the atmosphere of harmony in Bengal,โ Majumdar said.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya weighed in as well, declaring that no structure in the name of a โforeign invaderโ would be allowed on Indian soil and predicting the ouster of the Trinamool Congress in 2026.
โNo brick will be laid in the name of a foreign invader on the soil of India. A campaign is underway across the country against infiltrators. They will be selectively removed from India. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced this. The entire country is prepared for this. In 2026, the people of West Bengal will uproot and throw out TMC. We will form the government in West Bengal as well,โ Maurya said.
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From the opposition flank, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticised both sides, arguing that invoking either temples or mosques for electoral purposes was unacceptable.
โIn such a situation, they are announcing the construction of the Babri Masjid. We have no objection to this, whether a temple or a mosque is built, but trying to gain support in elections under the pretext of building a temple or a mosque is not right. We must ensure that there is no politics of polarisation,โ Chowdhury said.
The controversy has unfolded as the Trinamool Congress gears up for its annual December 6 rally in Kolkata to mark the Babri Masjid demolition. Traditionally organised by the partyโs minority cell, this yearโs event has been assigned to its studentsโ and youth wings, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee expected to attend.
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