- BJP leader performs Bhumi Puja for Ram temple replica as Kabir lays Babri Masjid foundation
- Both leaders invoke constitutional rights, fuelling political and communal debate
- Sarkar announces major temple complex with hospital and school
- Kabir signals launch of his own political party on December 22
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 7th Dec: Murshidabad witnessed a charged political confrontation on Saturday as parallel religious ceremonies—one by the BJP and the other by a suspended TMC MLA—deepened the ideological divide in West Bengal.
BJP leader Sakharov Sarkar performed Bhumi Puja and Shila Pratishtha for a replica of Ayodhya’s Ram Lala temple in Berhampore, asserting the party’s commitment to “sanatan values and public welfare.” Sarkar announced that the upcoming temple complex would include a hospital and a school, calling it “a monumental charitable initiative for the region.”
The move came hours after suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, triggering sharp political reactions. Kabir defended the mosque construction, citing Article 26(a) of the Constitution. “Anyone can build a temple or a church; I can build a mosque. It is not unconstitutional,” he told supporters.
Kabir referenced the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict, arguing that while the judgment awarded land for a Ram temple, it did not outlaw construction of a mosque elsewhere. His remarks have put the TMC on the defensive following his suspension, as he now signals the launch of his own political outfit on December 22.
The BJP, meanwhile, views Kabir’s move as an attempt to polarise ahead of elections. Sarkar said the party would continue to “uphold the cultural identity of the majority while ensuring development for all.”
With both ceremonies held on the same day, Murshidabad has once again emerged as a flashpoint for political posturing, religious symbolism, and electoral strategy—setting the stage for a potentially intense campaign season in West Bengal.
