Rejinagar | 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 the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) following his ouster from the Trinamool Congress, announced that the mosque at Rejinagar in Beldanga would be completed within two years and would cost around Rs 50-55 crore.
The mosque is being built on an 11-acre plot and will have the capacity to accommodate about 12,000 people to offer Namaz.
Amid the excitement of religious leaders and a few thousand residents from in and around Beldanga, 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, the leader announced that 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 demolition of the 16th-century structure by a right-wing mob in December 1992, triggered sharp political reactions across West Bengal. Kabir reportedly raised over Rs 2.85 crore in donations within the first two days.
The TMC MLA from Bharatpur was suspended by his party for allegedly carrying out anti-party activities shortly after he announced the building of the mosque's replica, following which he floated his own outfit.
Kabir also kicked up a political storm in the state after he announced that his party would take on both the TMC and the BJP in the upcoming state polls by contesting in 135 out of 294 assembly seats.
Kabir has, so far held preliminary seat sharing talks with multiple opposition parties, including the CPI(M) and Asaduddin Owasi's AIMIM, but is yet to formally stitch an alliance with any of them. The BJP has referred to the JUP as the TMC's "B-team", a claim the latter has rejected.
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.
"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).
Kabir, meanwhile, finds himself embroiled in a fresh controversy after the state police on Tuesday attached properties worth around Rs 11 crore belonging to a few of his relatives in connection with a long-standing drug trafficking case.
Alleging vendetta on part of the TMC government, Kabir announced from the construction site of the mosque that he would lay siege to the office of SP Murshidabad on February 14.
"This is the TMC's style of payback since I have now politically taken it. I will move court. But before that, I will gherao the Murshidabad SP's office on Saturday with one lakh people. I have enough evidence to prove that my relatives are being framed," he declared.
Altogether 14 properties, including land, houses and commercial establishments in areas such as Naldahari in Murshidabad district's Lalgola, 15 bank accounts and vehicles are being attached as part of the legal process, Superintendent of Police Dhritiman Sarkar told reporters.
The process to attach the assets of Shariful Islam, the father-in-law of Kabir's daughter, was initiated after allegations were made that the properties were acquired through the narcotics trade over the past several years, he said.
