Sources within the Trinamool Congress have revealed that Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee is deeply displeased with party MLA Humayun Kabir over his announcement to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad. The Chief Minister and the Trinamool Congress have completely distanced themselves from the proposed mosque project, and this firm stand has already been conveyed to the MLA through internal channels, the sources added.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, senior Bengal minister and Trinamool leader Bratya Basu said, “The issue regarding MLA Humayun Kabir is being taken care of by the party leadership. The MLA is constantly switching his opinions. Tomorrow we are expecting him to attend the Chief Minister’s programme in Baharampore.”
Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to address a major rally in the India-Bangladesh border district of Murshidabad on Thursday in protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls.
Party sources confirmed that Humayun Kabir, who currently represents the Bharatpur Assembly constituency, has been formally invited to the rally and is expected to be present on the stage alongside the Chief Minister.
However, on the eve of the rally, the MLA reiterated his determination to lay the foundation stone for the Babri Masjid replica at Beldanga in Murshidabad on December 6.
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In a related development, sources said West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has raised serious concerns with the state government, asking why Humayun Kabir is not being arrested if his statements and proposed actions are likely to create a law-and-order crisis.
“The reports I have received from the field, intelligence agencies, and local opinion leaders indicate that someone is deliberately trying to turn Murshidabad into a hub of scandal. This will not be allowed,” the Governor stated.
Emphasising that the matter goes far beyond the mere construction of a place of worship, Governor Bose warned that if communal sentiments are provoked, the state and its government “will not remain mute spectators”.
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The district administration has already placed Murshidabad on high alert in view of the proposed December 6 programme. During her visit to the district on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee held multiple rounds of closed-door meetings with top administrative officials and senior district leaders of the party, sources disclosed.
Officials confirmed that Humayun Kabir has not obtained the mandatory police permission required to organise the foundation-stone-laying event on December 6. Nevertheless, the administration is leaving nothing to chance, particularly because the MLA has maintained silence about the exact venue of the programme.
A senior Trinamool Congress leader from the district described the entire episode as political drama, saying the MLA’s “entire drama” is nothing but pressure tactics to bargain for a party ticket from the Rejinagar Assembly seat in the next election. The leader pointed out that Humayun Kabir had resorted to similar tactics in the past to secure the constituency of his choice, but this time the party leadership is finding the situation particularly difficult to handle.
Also Read: Bengal MLA vows new Babri Masjid; BJP cries 'Hindu intimidation'
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