KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended MLA Humayun Kabir on charges of anti-party activities.
The party leadership in Kolkata announced the move around 12 noon.
The state municipal affairs and urban development minister, Firhad Hakim, while announcing the decision to suspend the rebel MLA from Bharatpur constituency, said, “Humayun has been suspended from the party for communal politics. Earlier, he was suspended three times on charges of anti-party activities.”
He was suspended minutes before he was seen entering the dais from where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to address a party rally in Behrampore of Murshidabad district.
Humayun left the rally ground soon after he received the news of the step taken against him and threatened to form a new political platform on 22 December.
Within minutes after his suspension, the aggrieved Humayun told the media, “I will resign from the party on Friday and float a new political platform to fight against the communal force, both BJP and Trinamool Congress.”
“I will announce the name of my party on December 22 at Behrampore ground and contest in 135 assembly seats in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state next year.”
“The chief minister has been opposing Muslims from setting up mosques in Bengal, but she is spending crores of rupees for setting up temples. Anytime, I may be killed, but the ‘Babri’ masjid will come up on our trustee land in Beldanga, Murshidabad. The foundation stone of the project will be laid on December 6,” the suspended MLA alleged.
Hardly one hour after Trinamool Congress suspended Humayun, Mamata Banerjee, while addressing the Behrampore rally, said, “People of Murshidabad never support any kind of communal politics. The Constitution of India has taught us how to protect communal harmony.”
“Be aware of those people who are playing Holi of communal politics. Trinamool Congress always fights against communal forces,” she said without taking name of the rebel legislator of her party.
Humayun Kabir is set to lay the foundation stone for ‘Babri Masjid’ in Beldanga, Murshidabad district, a political hotbed with around 70 percent minority vote share in Bengal on December 6th, the 33rd anniversary of the historic mosque’s demolition in Ayodhya in 1992 prompting the BJP to claim “It’s a sinister move of the ruling party in the state for electoral benefit’ in the assembly elections in April-May next year.
The Chief Minister and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the party, are scheduled to participate in a peace march organised by the party in Kolkata same day when Humayun will lead the laying of the foundation stone of the project worth around Rs 125 crore on 20 bighas of land at Beldanga.
“The project, which includes a ‘Babri Masjid’, a college, a hospital and a six-storied rest house, will come up on 20 bighas of land. I have already prepared invitation letters and will distribute them among dignitaries and guests, including all political leaders hailing from my district, Murshidabad, to attend the programme on 6 December,” the suspended MLA said.
“I don’t need to get any approval for the initiative from anyone. I had announced the project of setting up ‘Babri Masjid’ about one year ago and Trinamool leadership is well-informed about it,” he said.
“The Muslim community across the country have assured me to provide financial support for the project initiated by a trust – West Bengal Islamic Foundation of India, where I am a general secretary. Around 10 percent of non-Muslims, mainly Hindus, will be there in the trust,” he said.