Babri Masjid Replica Construction Begins in Murshidabad

• Construction of Babri Masjid replica begins in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district
• Suspended TMC leader Humayun Kabir says mosque will be completed in two years
• Kabir launches new party JUP, to contest 135 seats in 2026 Bengal elections
• TMC dismisses move as communal provocation; BJP alleges vote-split conspiracy

GG News Bureau
Murshidabad, 11th Feb: Construction of a replica of the Babri Masjid began on Wednesday in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, a project spearheaded by suspended Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir that has triggered a fresh political controversy ahead of the state’s Assembly elections scheduled for March-April 2026.

“The construction of the mosque is expected to be completed within two years. By the grace of Allah and with His blessings, our Babri Masjid will be built,” Kabir said at the building site. Addressing those opposing the project, he said, “Step aside. People are free to follow their own religions and build temples, churches, or whatever they wish. I won’t oppose anyone in the name of Islam. My effort is for Islam to please Allah, it is not about imposing anything.”

Kabir had earlier sparked a political storm in Bengal after announcing plans to rebuild the Babri Masjid, a 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya that was demolished by a right-wing mob in December 1992. The announcement triggered a temple versus mosque battle of optics between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Trinamool responded by suspending Kabir to underline its secular credentials. In retaliation, Kabir launched a broadside at his former boss and announced the formation of the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP), which he called a “game-changer” in Bengali politics. The party will contest 135 seats out of 249 in the 2026 Bengal elections, he declared, adding that the JUP will defeat the Trinamool.

In a fierce attack that included jabs at the BJP, Kabir acknowledged Banerjee’s “unquestionable” leadership, noting she had guided her party to three electoral victories over the BJP. However, he declared, “She is no longer the same person I knew. In 2026, she will not become the Chief Minister and will not be sworn in. She will be branded as ex-Chief Minister.” He also hinted that collusion with the BJP had allowed the saffron party’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to expand its Bengal footprints.

The Trinamool played down and dismissed Kabir’s challenge. Party spokesperson Jayprakash Majumdar claimed that such parties had been floated against Mamata Banerjee before and then sank into oblivion. “It is nothing more than a communal provocation,” he said.

The BJP, meanwhile, called the controversy an attempt to create communal tensions and a “calculated” move by the Trinamool. The party claimed Kabir is working with the Trinamool and that his apparent discord is a ruse to split votes. “Kabir will not be a factor. He will face a drubbing with Trinamool, with which he is in touch in a clandestine manner,” state BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya claimed.

The JUP is expected to ally with Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) for the 2026 election, though the AIMIM has not confirmed any such talks. Kabir told NDTV that his party will contest 135 seats and work for the common man, including Muslims. Muslims comprise a major vote bank for the Trinamool, and the ruling party must now navigate the challenge of avoiding vote losses to Kabir and Owaisi while simultaneously blocking the BJP from making deeper inroads in the state after it emerged as a stronger force in the 2021 elections.