Kolkata, Nov 2 (PTI) AJUP chief Humayun Kabir on Monday said he would mobilise five lakh people at the proposed

Kolkata, Nov 2 (PTI) AJUP chief Humayun Kabir on Monday said he would mobilise five lakh people at the proposed

Kolkata, Nov 2 (PTI) AJUP chief Humayun Kabir on Monday said he would mobilise five lakh people at the proposed

Kolkata, Nov 2 (PTI) AJUP chief Humayun Kabir on Monday said he would mobilise five lakh people at the proposed Babri Masjid-style mosque site in West Bengal's Murshidabad on December 6 and block a highway, while BJP MLA Shakharav Sarkar asserted the event would not be allowed.

    December 6 is the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya.

    Addressing a meeting in Beldanga, Nowda MLA Kabir said his supporters would take control of National Highway 34's stretch between Rejinagar and Berhampore, challenging the administration to stop them.

    "On the day of inauguration of the Babri Masjid, I will block the national highway. Let the police administration stop me if it has the power. The 30-km stretch of NH-34 from Rejinagar to Berhampore will be under my control that day. Let the administration stop us if it has the power," he said.

    The Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief asserted that his supporters would also arrive from Krishnanagar, Domkal, Jalangi, Sainthia, Kandi and areas near the Bardhaman-Nabadwip bridge.

    Kabir, however, claimed that the gathering would remain peaceful and that his supporters would not violate law and order.

    Newly elected BJP MLA from Rejinagar, Shakharav Sarkar, hit back, daring Kabir to follow through with his threat, asserting that he would not be allowed to cause any unrest.

    "Let him try. He had earlier claimed that 10 bodies would fall during the bypolls. Not even a drop of blood was shed. He has forgotten that the government has changed," Sarkar said. "The chief minister and home minister is now Suvendu Adhikari. Blocking the road is out of the question."

    Sarkar, however, said he had no objection to a mosque being built, but questioned Kabir's role in the project. "There is no objection from the BJP to a mosque. But what he wants to do will not happen," the MLA said, adding that he would consult Muslim religious leaders on the name of the proposed mosque.

    In a pointed warning to Kabir, Sarkar said, "You have grown old. Move around carefully. You saw what happened on October 6 (date of Rejinagar bypoll; you will see that again on December 6."

    Kabir has claimed that the proposed mosque would be built at a cost of around Rs 87 crore, with a capacity to accommodate 80,000 people for prayers inside the two-storey structure and another 20,000 on its premises.

    He has also announced that the mosque would be inaugurated on December 6, 2028.

    The AJUP chief had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 6, 2025, and construction work began in February this year, triggering a political controversy in the state.

    The proposed mosque has since become a point of contention between Kabir and the BJP, which has accused him of using a religiously sensitive issue for political mobilisation.

    Kabir, who was suspended by the TMC before launching his own party, has sought to project himself as a political force capable of mobilising Muslim voters in Murshidabad and adjoining districts.

    TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh said Kabir's position on the issue was helping the BJP politically. "This is a very sensitive issue. His position is centred around religion and is giving the BJP a political advantage. It is not right to mix a sensitive religious issue with politics," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)