Rejinagar (West Bengal)

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir on Wednesday began the construction of the much-hyped mosque - modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid - in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.

Kabir, who recently floated Janata Unnayan Party (JUP), announced that the mosque at Rejinagar in Beldanga would be completed within two years and would cost around Rs 50-55 crore.

Amid the excitement of hundreds of residents, construction workers began the brick-laying ceremony for the structure at around noon, with Kabir stating that the building of the mosque remained on course despite resistance from multiple quarters.

Many supporters were seen carrying bricks on their heads as a gesture of participation in the construction.

“To those who are opposing, I would say step aside. People are free to follow their own religions and build temples, churches, or whatever they wish. I will not oppose anyone in the name of Islam. My effort is for Islam to please Allah and perform my devotion, it is not about imposing anything,” the JUP chief said.

“There’s no force on earth which can stop the construction of this mosque. By the grace of God, we will finish its construction within two years. It will be built at a cost of Rs 50-55 crore,” he added.

Kabir, however, announced that he would, for now, keep the scheduled ‘Babri Yatra’ – a 235-km rally from Nadia's Palashi to Itahar in Uttar Dinajpur district – on hold in the wake of the ongoing board exams.

Instead, he will hold a 22-km march on Thursday from Palashi to Beldanga.

“I have been informed by Malda police that the Babri Yatra would inconvenience the examinees of Madhyamik exams. I have, hence, decided to postpone that event which was supposed to be held with a convoy of 100 cars. Instead, I will hold a march on foot from Palashi to Beldanga, the site of the under-construction mosque, with 50,000 people,” he said.

Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque, modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid, on December 6, last year.

The move, timed with the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, triggered sharp political reactions across West Bengal, and he reportedly raised over Rs 2.85 crore in donations within the first two days.

The TMC MLA from Bharatpur was earlier suspended from the Trinamool Congress for allegedly carrying out anti-party activities, following which he floated his own outfit.

Kabir also announced that his party would take on both the TMC and the BJP in the upcoming assembly polls.

Responding to the day’s development, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said the construction was aimed at “consolidating Muslim vote bank” but would have little impact on Bengal’s voters.

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“Humayun Kabir is building the mosque for the same reason Mamata Banerjee is constructing temples across the state, which is to consolidate voters along communal lines. That will have no impact on the electorate because people require development,” he alleged.

On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the Babri Masjid would never be rebuilt till ‘Qayamat’ (Day of Judgment).