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Kabir’s remarks came after lakhs of devotees gathered at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground for a mega Bhagavad Gita recital, including senior BJP leaders.
Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir
Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir, who stoked controversy by laying the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid in Murshidabad’s Rejinagar, promised a recitation of the Quran in response to the mega Bhagavad Gita recital at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata organised on Sunday.
Kabir, who was suspended from the TMC earlier this week for what the party termed “communal politics,” proceeded with the mosque inauguration ceremony on Saturday amid a swelling crowd and clerics sharing the dais and slogans of “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar”, saying the project was not meant to oppose the Ram Mandir and that Muslims had every right to build a mosque in Bengal.
A day after this, lakhs of devotees, including sadhus and sadhvis from across West Bengal and neighbouring states, took part in the mega Gita recital at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground. Devotees joined their voices to recite shlokas from copies of the Gita, while saffron banners featuring the pictures of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ram waved across the venue.
The programme, called ‘Panch Lakkho Konthe Gita Path’, is being organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad, a collective of monks and spiritual leaders drawn from various monasteries and Hindu religious institutions. Senior BJP leaders, including Union minister and former state president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, former MP Locket Chatterjee and MLA Agnimitra Paul, were present.
‘Gita Recitation Is Right’
Speaking on the matter of the Gita recital, Kabir said he would invite Muslims for a mega Quran recitation before the construction of the mosque. “The Gita recitation taking place today is right and should be done properly… The foundation stone of the Babri Masjid was laid yesterday. Before construction begins, we will invite Maulanas and Hafiz to organise Quran recitation,” he told news agency IANS.
Murshidabad, West Bengal: Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir says, ” The Gita recitation taking place today is right and should be done properly… The foundation stone of the Babri Masjid was laid yesterday. Before construction begins, we will invite Maulanas and Hafiz to organize… pic.twitter.com/wAwCOlP0FY— IANS (@ians_india) December 7, 2025
He insisted that his decision to lay the foundation stone for the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad was not due to political reasons. “For the same purpose for which the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad is reciting the holy Gita, we will have the Quran recited… We will gather 1 lakh people, feed them, and then the work on the Babri Masjid will begin,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The BJP has accused Kabir and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of using religion for polarisation and said the Babri Masjid will never be accepted in Bengal. “No one is opposing the construction of a mosque, but building one in the name of Babur seems like an attempt to insult Hindus and provoke them. The Hindu community will respond appropriately,” said Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar.
Congress MP Imran Masood also accused Kabir of creating an environment of hatred in the country and demanded the West Bengal government to take strict action against the suspended MLA.
(with inputs from agencies)
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 07, 2025, 19:24 IST
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